HI — •""•"IB "'"  Hi 


III "ill Ill 


nr 


The  Boat-Builder  Series. 


i. 

ALL   ADRIFT; 

OB, 

THE    GOLDWING    CLUB. 

n. 
SNUG   HARBOR; 

OB, 

THE    CHAMPLAIN    MECHANICS. 

in. 

SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES; 

OB, 
BUILDING    THE    HOUSE. 

IV. 
STEM    TO    STERN; 

OB, 

BUILDING  THE  BOAT. 
V. 

ALL  TAUT; 

OB, 

RIGGING  THE  BOAT. 

VI. 
READY  ABOUT; 

OR, 

SAILING    THE    BOAT. 


"  The  stem  of  the  Winooski  struck  the  bow  of  the  Chesterfield  barge.1 
—  Page  68. 


THE  BOAT-BUILDER   SERIES 


SQUARE  AND  COMPASSES 


OB 


BUILDING  THE   HOUSE 


BY 

OLIVER    OPTIC 

AUTHOR  OF  "YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD,"  "THE  GUEAT  WESTERN 

SERIES,"  "  THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY  SERIES,"  "  THE  WOODVILLE 

SERIES,"  "THE  STARRY  FLAG  SERIES,'  "THE  BOAT-CLUB 

STORIES,"  "THE  ONWARD  AND  UPWARD  SERIES," 

"THE  YACHT-CLUB  SERIES,"  "THE  LAKE-SHORE 

SERIES,"  "THE  KIVERDALE  SERIKS,"  "ALL 

ADRIFT,"  "  SNUG  HARBOR,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


EJBttfj  Illustrations 


BOSTON 
LEE    AND   SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YOKK  CHARLES  T.  DILLINGHAM 


I* 


Copyright, 

1884, 
BY  LEE  AXD  SHEPARD. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 


•QDARE  AMD  COMPASSES. 


TO 
MY   YOUNG  FRIEND, 

.ROBERT    M.    BAKER, 

THIS  BOOK 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


(00 


Copyright, 

1884, 
BY  LEE  AND  SHEPABD. 

J#  Rights  Reserved. 


•QUARB  AHD  COMPASSES. 


TO 

MY   YOUNG  FKIEND, 

.ROBERT    M.    BAKER, 

THIS  BOOK 
18  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


PEEFACE. 


"  SQUARE  AND  COMPASSES  "  is  the  third  volume  of 
"THE  BOAT-BUILDER  SERIES."  All  the  characters 
connected  with  the  Beech  Hill  Industrial  School  who 
were  presented  in  the  preceding  story  will  appear  in 
the  present  issue.  In  addition  to  these,  the  students  of 
another  educational  institution,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake,  are  introduced,  as  well  as  a  gang  of  ruffianly 
young  marauders  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cham- 
plain  mechanics. 

These  additions  to  the  acting  force  of  the  story  are 
made,  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  incidents  and  ad- 
ventures to  which  their  appearance  gives  rise,  but  for 
the  contrast  between  well-behaved  mechanics  and  ill- 
behaved  gentlemen,  and  between  boys  well-trained  and 
those  not  trained  at  all,  as  in  the  example  of  the  Top- 
overs. 

It  is  true  that  the  writer  regards  a  reasonable  amount 
of  exciting  incident  and  adventure  as  necessary  to  hold 
the  attention  of  his  readers,  but  he  has  never  been 
satisfied  to  present  only  these.  While  naked  didactic 
pages  covering  the  duties  of  young  people  are  usually 
skipped  or  favored  with  only  a  hasty  glance,  the  moral 


Vi  PREFACE. 

quality  of  the  actions  and  speech  of  a  favorite  char- 
acter may  produce  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  and 
heart  of  the  reader.  What  the  Good  Samaritan  or  the 
Unjust  Steward  said  and  did,  convey  lessons  which 
simple  precepts  may  fail  to  impart.  The  moral  of  the 
writer's  stories  is  in  the  words  and  actions  of  the  char- 
acters, and  the  contrast  between  the  lives  of  the  good 
and  those  of  the  bad. 

The  author  adheres  to  the  rule  he  has  followed  for 
the  lifetime  of  a  generation:  never  to  present  bad 
characters  in  such  a  light  as  to  win  the  admiration  and 
sympathy  of  the  reader;  and  he  still  believes  in  the 
old-fashioned  practice  of  rewarding  the  good  and  pun- 
ishing the  evil  in  the  story. 

As  in  the  last  volume,  it  is  a  part  of  the  writer's  pur- 
pose to  interest  young  people  in  the  mechanic  arts,  and 
to  illustrate  the  results  of  good  discipline.  He  is  a  firm 
believer  in  Industrial  Schools,  whether  public  or  pri- 
vate, and  is  satisfied  that  our  country  has  reached  a 
stage  in  its  development  when  more  attention  than 
ever  before  must  be  given  to  practical  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts.  He  sincerely  hopes  the  present 
series  will  do  something  to  promote  the  cultivation  of 
a  taste  in  this  direction,  as  well  as  to  afford  moral  in- 
struction and  innocent  amusement. 

DOBCHESTEB,  MASS.,  Aug.  20, 1884. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PACK 
SOME  INDICATIONS  OF  A  REBELLION 9 


CHAPTER  H. 

AN   IMPKOMPTU   KACE   BETWEEN   THE   BEECH    HILL 
BABGES   .  19 


CHAPTER  III. 

DOBY  DOBNWOOD  ABGUES  THE  QUESTION 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  CHESTERFIELDS  HANG  OUT  THEIB  BANNEBS    .    .    39 

CHAPTER  V. 

JUST  BEFOBE  THE  BATTLE 49 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  COXSWAIN  OF  THE  WINOOSKI  INDULGES  IN  MOBE 
STBATEQY 59 

Tii 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

AN  UNSATISFACTORY  CONFERENCE  ON  THE  WAVES    .    69 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CHESTERFIELDS  SURRENDER  THEIR  BANNERS  .    .    79 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  REBELLION  IN  THE  SCHOOL-ROOM 89 

CHAPTER  X. 

IMPORTANT  TO  BOY-ARCHITECTS  AND  ENGINEERS   .    .    99 

CHAPTER  XI. 

DORY  DORNWOOD  CONFRONTS  THE  TOPOVERS    ...    109 

CHAPTER  XII. 

TOM  TOPOVER  HAS  REASON  TO  BE  ASTONISHED     .    .    119 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  VICTORY  FOR  THE  TOPOVERS 129 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  PURSUIT  IN  THE  GOLDWINO 139 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  SKIPPER  USES  A  NAUTICAL  LASSO  149 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

COMMODOEE  TOM  TOPOVER  VISITS  THE   GOLDWING       .      159 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  CHESTERFIELDS  AND  THEIR  ALLIES  RENEW  THE 
BATTLE 169 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

f 

DORY  DORNWOOD  DEALS  IN  MORAL  COURAGE   .    .    .    179 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

SOMETHING  MORE  ABOUT  THE  BEECH  HILL  KEBELLION    189 

CHAPTER  XX. 
THE  VISITING  COMMITTEE  AT  BEECH  HILL    ....    199 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  ORATOR  OP  THE  REBELS  OBTAINS  A  HEARING  .    209 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

BOLLY  EXPLAINS  THE  PLANS  FOR  THE  BOAT-HOUSE 
AND  WHARF 219 

• 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

VOLLEYS  OF  QUESTIONS  ASKED  AND  ANSWERED    .    .    229 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  NEW  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  SYLPH 239 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  FIBST  OFFICER  AND  PARTY  IN  BATTLE  ARRAY  .    249 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  RESULT  OF  THE  BATTLE  ON  THE  CAISSON     .     .    259 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  INTERVIEW  BETWEEN  THE  Two  PRINCIPALS  .    .    269 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  FRAMING  THE  BOAT-HOUSE  .    .    .    279 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  STUDENTS  USE  THE  SQUARE  AND  COMPASSES  .    .  289 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  STUDENTS  CELEBRATE  THE  COMPLETION  OF  THE 
BUILDING  OF  THE  HOUSE ,         ,    299 


SQUARE  AND  COMPASSES; 

OB, 

BUILDING  THE  HOUSE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOME   INDICATIONS    OF   A    REBELLION. 

\  I  THAT  'S  the  use  of  wearing  a  uniform  ?  We 
are  not  soldiers,  and  you  are  not  going  to 
make  soldiers  of  us,  Captain  Gildrock,"  said  Ben 
Ludlow,  when  the  principal  of  the  Beech  Hill 
Industrial  School  announced,  at  the  close  of  the 
afternoon  session,  that  the  students  would  be 
required  to  wear  a  peculiar  dress.  "  I  don't  be- 
lieve in  being  dressed  up  like  a  monkey  on  a  hand 
organ." 

"  You  can't  always  tell  the  monkey  by  the  dress 
he  wears,  and  some  boys  insist  upon  being  mon- 
keys in  whatever  garb  they  appear,"  added  the 
principal ;  for  he  encouraged  them  to  express  their 
opinions  in  a  gentlemanly  manner  on  all  subjects. 

9 


10  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES; 

"Soldiers  are  not  the  only  class  that  wear  uni- 
forms. They  are  worn  in  the  navy  as  well  as 
in  the  army.  I  think  I  have  heard  no  objection 
from  anyone  to  the  sailor  rig  worn  on  board  of 
the  Sylph." 

K I  think  it  is  all  right  when  we  are  on  board 
of  the  steamer ;  but  who  wants  to  go  about  Gen- 
verres  dressed  up  so  that  everybody  will  stop  on 
the  sidewalk  to  look  at  him?"  replied  Ben,  who 
spoke  confidently,  as  though  he  thought  he  had  a 
first-rate  argument. 

"As  those  who  have  opinions  are  expected  to 
express  them,  I  must  say  I  think  Ludlow  is  right?" 
interposed  Mr.  Brookbine,  the  master-carpenter. 
"  I  believe  that,  for  plain  republicans,  we  are  get- 
ting altogether  too  much  uniform  into  our  daily 
life.  Why,  all  the  conductors  on  the  steam  and 
horse  cars,  all  the  telegraph  boys,  all  the  letter- 
carriers,  all  the  policemen,  and  in  some  cities  even 
all  the  gas  men,  have  to  wear  uniforms." 

"  It  seems  to  me  very  proper  that  all  you  have 
mentioned  should  wear  uniforms,"  quietly  returned 
the  principal. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  answered  the  carpenter 
stoutly.  "  It  looks  a  little  too  much  like  the  fuss 
and  feathers  of  monarchical  countries  for  our 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  11 

democratic  institutions.  I  could  n't  help  laughing 
when  I  saw  one  of  the  porters  of  the  Bank  of 
England  dressed  out  like  a  lord  high  admiral,  or 
Sir  Peter  Teazle  in  the  play." 

"Now  you  argue  against  the  extravagance  of 
uniforms,  and  not  against  uniforms  themselves,'* 
retorted  the  principal.  "1  am  in  favor  of  uni- 
forms, but  not  of  ridiculous  uniforms.  Should 
you  be  willing  to  give  your  ticket  or  money  to 
anyone  on  the  train  that  chose  to  ask  for  it,  Mr. 
Brookbine  ?  " 

"I  don't  think  I  should,"  laughed  the  master- 
carpenter,  as  he  saw  the  point  of  the  argument. 
"  In  fact  I  remember  a  case,  before  uniforms  came 
into  fashion,  where  a  smart  chap  went  through  a 
car,  and  collected  several  dollars  and  a  handful  of 
tickets,  and  then  left  the  train,  before  the  con- 
ductor puttf  in  an  appearance.  I  will  give  it  up 
on  conductors." 

"  Not  many  years  ago  a  villain  got  into  a  house 
in  one  of  our  large  cities,  on  the  plea  that  he  was 
a  gas  man  ;  before  he  left  it  he  had  committed  a 
murder.  Then  the  newspapers  said  the  employes 
of  the  gas  company  ought  to  wear  uniforms,  so 
that  people  could  tell  whom  to  admit  to  their 
houses.  I  believe  it  is  now  the  fashion  in  that 


12  SQUARE   AND  COMPASSES  ; 

city  to  wear  them.     A  shrewd  boy  in  Burlington 

collected  a  dollar  and  a  half  from  a  lady  in  the 

i 

absence  of  her  husband,  by  delivering  her  a  bogus 
telegraph  despatch." 

"I  never  thought  of  the  matter  in  this  light 
before,  captain,"  added  Mr.  Brookbine.  "If 
uniforms  are  of  any  use,  I  don't  object  to  them, 
certainly." 

"But  we  are  not  telegraph  boys,  gas  men,  or 
conductors,"  Ben  Ludlow  objected. 

"  No,  you  are  not ;  but  the  other  day  two  of 
our  students  went  into  a  saloon  in  Genverres,  and 
each  of  them  drank  a  glass  of  lager  beer.  I 
don't  believe  they  would  have  done  it  if  they  had 
worn  the  uniform  of  the  Beech  Hill  Industrial 
School." 

This  statement  produced  a  decided  sensation 
among  the  students,  and  they  thought  they  under- 
stood the  object  which  the  uniform  was  expected 
to  accomplish. 

"  I  don't  allow  any  boy  to  use  intoxicating  drinks 
while  under  my  control.  If  I  can't  prevent  it,  I 
will  expel  the  pupil ;  for  I  will  not  have  his  ruin 
on  my  conscience.  I  expect  every  student  to  have 
a  proper  regard  for  the  credit  and  honor  of  this 
school,  and  conduct  himself,  wherever  he  may  be, 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  13 

in  such  a  manner  as  to  cast  no  discredit  or  dis- 
honor upon  it." 

Optain  Gildrock  spoke  with  more  feeling  than 
usual,  and  his  remarks  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  students.  They  promptly  applauded 
what  he  had  said,  thus  indicating  that  they  would 
respect  the  good  name  of  the  institution.  The 
principal  did  not  check  their  demonstration  on  the 
present  occasion,  and  he  seemed  to  be  pleased 
with  it. 

"The  students  of  the  Chesterfield  Collegiate 
Institute,  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  don't  wear 
any  uniform,"  suggested  Ben  Ludlow,  who  realized 
that  he  had  been  thoroughly  beaten  in  the  argu- 
ment. "  Colonel  Buckmill,  the  principal  of  the 
Institute,  says  that  gentlemen,  such  as  his  pupils 
are,  don't  need  uniforms." 

"  Of  course  Colonel  Buckmill  has  a  perfect  right 
to  his  own  opinion  on  this  subject,  as  I  have  to 
mine,"  replied  Captain  Gildrock.  "  The  Chester- 
fields will  wear  no  uniform,  but  the  Beech  Hill 
students  will  wear  a  uniform.  I  think  we  need 
not  argue  the  question  any  more.  The  uniform  is 
ready,  and  you  will  put  it  on  in  the  morning.  It 
is  merely  a  plain  suit  of  blue,  with  our  initials  on 
the  cap." 


14  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

Some  of  the  boys  did  not  like  the  idea  of  u 
uniform.  Something  had  been  said  about  it  before, 
and  the  topic  had  been  discussed  in  the  boats.  A 
few  thought  it  interfered  with  their  independence. 
It  would  enable  every  person  in  the  city  to  know 
them  at  sight. 

If  they  got  into  mischief,  or  visited  improper 
places,  the  uniform  would  betray  them.  The 
principal  knew  that  two  of  them  had  drank  beer 
in  a  saloon  :  he  did  not  say  what  further  informa- 
tion he  had  on  this  subject,  and  the  students  were 
not  disposed  to  prolong  the  discussion  in  this 
direction. 

'  Though  they  did  not  like  to  face  the  beer  ques- 
tion, the  boys  were  disposed  to  be  a  little  sullen 
over  the  new  order.  They  had  not  been  in  the 
school  long  enough  to  attain  a  very  high  state  of 
discipline,  and  most  of  them  had  wills  of  their 
own.  A  large  proportion  of  them  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  having  their  own  way,  and,  to  them, 
wearing  a  uniform  was  about  the  same  thing  as 
being  placed  under  guard  all  the  time. 

"One  thing  more,"  interposed  the  principal,  as 
the  students  were  about  to  leave  the  shop.  "  As 
I  announced  on  the  day  the  school  was  opened,  I 
intend  to  offer  a  prize  for  the  best  plan  of  a  boat- 


OR,    BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  15 

house,  to  be  erected  by  the  students  on  the  border 
of  Beech  Hill  Lake.  I  shall  submit  the  offer  the 
first  thing  to-morrow  morning,  after  you  have  put 
on  your  uniforms." 

The  boys  had  been  very  much  interested  in  the 
proposed  new  house ;  not  so  much  on  account  of 
the  accommodations  it  was  to  furnish  them,  as 
because  they  were  to  build  the  house  themselves. 
Not  a  few  of  them  had  already  considered  plans 
for  the  structure,  and  the  prizes  would  introduce 
a  new  element  of  excitement.  But  somehow  the 
announcement  fell  rather  coldly,  and  some  of  the 
pupils  were  more  inclined  to  get  up  a  rebellion 
against  the  new  uniform  than  to  compete  for  the 
prize. 

Captain  Gildrock  left  the  shop,  and  went  to  the 
house.  He  could  not  help  seeing  that  there  was  a 
spirit  of  disaffection  among  the  students.  They 
did  not  like  the  uniform,  but  the  principal  re- 
garded it  as  a  necessity,  for  he  believed  it  would 
correct  some  tendencies  to  rowdyism  he  had  ob- 
served among  the  boys,  and  especially  that  it 
would  deter  them  from  entering  any  disreputable 
places. 

The  boys  went  to  the  dressing-room,  removed 
their  overalls  and  jumpers,  and  attended  to  their 


16  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

ablutions.  Little  knots  of  them  conversed  in  low 
tones  about  the  uniform ;  but  a  considerable 
number  of  them  were  sure  to  be  loyal  to  the 
principal,  and  they  were  careful  not  to  allow  their 
remarks  to  be  heard  by  such  pupils. 

The  two  twelve-oar  barges,  which  had  been 
provided  by  the  principal  and  brought  up  to  the 
lake  two  weeks  before,  had  not  yet  become  an 
old  story.  During  the  past  fortnight  the  two 
crews  had  practised  nearly  every  day  with  the 
oars,  and  had  made  excellent  progress. 

The  two  coxswains,  Matt  Randolph  of  the  Gild- 
rock,  and  Dory  Dormvood  of  the  Winooski,  had  a 
conference  after  every  trip  in  the  boats  in  order 
to  determine  what  more  was  to  be  done  for  the 
improvement  of  the  rowing.  Captain  Gildrock 
and  Luke  Bennington  often  made  suggestions  to 
them,  but  all  instruction  and  discipline  in  the  boats 
war  left  to  the  coxswains.  The  principal  never 
gave  an  order  except  through  the  proper  officer. 

The  instruction  in  swimming  had  been  con- 
tinued on  every  suitable  day,  and,  as  the  boys  were 
deeply  interested  in  this  amusement,  they  soon 
became  very  expert  in  the  art.  The  timid  ones 
obtained  the  necessary  confidence,  and  the  shallow 
waters  of  Beech  Hill  Lake  were  abandoned  for 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  17 

those  of  Champlain  itself.     The  boating  and  swim- 
ming were    now  combined,  and  an  excursion  to 

O 

Sandy  Beach  had  been  arranged  for  the  day. 

"Hurry  up,  fellows;  we  haven't  any  too  much 
time,  for  it  is  a  four-mile  pull  to  Sandy  Beach," 
said  Matt  Randolph,  when  he  saw  that  the  crew 
of  his  boat  were  thinking  of  something  besides 
the  excursion. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  care  about  going,"  replied 
Lew  Shoreham,  with  a  cross-grained  look. 

"Don't  care  about  going ?"  exclaimed  the  cox- 
swain of  the  Gildrock.  "  What  has  come  over  you 
fellows  ?  " 

"  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  being  dressed  up  like 
a  monkey,"  answered  Lew,  apparently  fanning 
his  discontent. 

"And  all  because  a  couple  of  fellows  took  a 
glass  of  beer  each,"  added  Bob  Swanton. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  how  many  fellows  ever 
took  any  beer  since  they  joined  the  school,"  con- 
tinued Lew  Shoreham.  "  I  never  drank  any  for 
one." 

"I  never  tasted  beer  in  my  life,"  said  Phil 
Gawner. 

"  I  never  tasted  it  but  once  in  my  life,  and  then 
it  made  me  as  sick  as  a  horse,"  added  Lick  Milton. 


18  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

Several  others  gave  their  testimony  to  the  same 
effect,  or  declared  that  they  had  drank  none  since 
they  joined  the  school. 

"  I  see  you  are  trying  to  get  up  a  rebellion," 
said  Matt  Randolph.  "  I  have  drank  lager  beer  a 
few  times  in  New  York,  but  not  a  drop  since  I 
came  to  this  school.  I  don't  object  to  the  uni- 
form, and  I  think  the  regulation  requiring  it  is  a 
very  reasonable  one.  But  I  am  not  going  to  jaw 
about  it  now.  All  the  Gildrocks  to  the  boat." 

"All  the  Winooskis  to  the  boat,"  added  Dory 
Dornwood. 

About  two  thirds  of  the  students  followed  the 
coxswains  to  the  lake.  It  looked  as  though  the 
other  third  intended  to  rebel  at  once,  for  they 
remained  in  the  dressing-room  after  the  others 
had  gone. 


CHAPTER  H. 

AN   IMPROMPTU   RACE    BETWEEN   THE   BEECH 
HILL   BARGES. 

1  TERE  are  eight  of  us,  and  not  one  of  the  eight 
—  has  touched  any  beer  since  he  joined  the 
school,"  said  Lew  Shoreham,  after  the  majority  of 
the  boys  had  gone,  and  he  had  got  the  bearings  of 
the  question  under  discussion. 

"  I  am  in  favor  of  standing  out,  for  one,"  added 
Tom  Ridley.  "  I  am  willing  to  do  my  duty  and 
obey  all  the  rules,  but  I  am  not  going  to  be 
rigged  out  like  a  state-prison  bird  when  I  have  n't 
done  anything  out  of  the  way." 

"  It  looks  like  punishing  the  whole  crowd  for 
the  sins  of  the  two  fellows  who  drank  the  beer," 
continued  Harry  Franklin. 

"If  the  captain  knows  who  the  fellows  are,  why 
don't  he  put  them  into  uniform,  and  not  make 
black  sheep  of  the  whole  of  us?" 

"  I  don't  believe  in  doing  anything  in  a  hurry," 
interposed  Bart  Cornwall.  "If  we  are  going  to 

Id 


20  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

stand  out,  we  want  to  know  what  we  are  about 
before  we  begin." 

"That's  my  idea,"  added  Bob  Swanton.  "  Let 
us  understand  what  we  are  going  to  do  before  we 
begin." 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  talk  it  over  among  our- 
selves before  we  do  anything,"  mused  Lew  Shore- 
ham.  "There  is  time  enough  before  to-morrow 
morning." 

"That's  the  idea,"  Life  Windham  chimed  in. 
"The  worst  we  can  do  is  to  refuse  to  wear  the 
uniform  ;  and  we  can't  refuse  before  the  clothes 
are  given  to  us.'* 

"By  the  way,  did  you  fellows  hear  that  the 
Chesterfield  students  have  two  barges  like  ours  ?  " 
inquired  Phil  Gawner. 

"  I  know  they  have,  for  I  saw  the  kid-glovers 
out  in  them,"  replied  Lick  Milton. 

"When  did  you  see  them,  Lick?"  asked  Lew 
Shoreham. 

"  Day  before  yesterday.  They  were  pulling  in 
the  barges  near  the  shore." 

"The  rest  of  the  fellows  will  go  off  without 
us  if  we  don't  hurry  up,"  added  Bart  Cornwall. 
"  Sandy  Beach  is  not  far  from  the  Chesterfield 
Institute." 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  21 

Phil  Gawner  bolted  from  the  room  in  hot  huste, 
and  the  other  rebels  followed  him.  The  rebellion 
seemed  to  be  forgotten,  for  there  was  already 
something  like  rivalry  existing  between  the  two 
educational  institutions  on  the  opposite  sides  of 
the  lake.  The  Chesterfield  young  gentlemen, 
when  they  came  within  hailing  distance  of  the 

bovs  of  Beech  Hill,  had  taken  occasion  to  mani- 

• 

test  their  contempt  by  words,  signs,  and  other  de- 
monstrations. They  called  the  industrial  school 
"  The  Tinkers'  Institute,"  and  this  term  was  ex- 
ceedingly offensive  to  our  boys. 

But  the  beautiful  steam  yacht  in  which  the 
"  Tinkers "  voyaged  on  the  lake,  and  especially 
the  magnificent  twelve-oar  barges  in  which  they 
sported  upon  the  waves,  excited  the  envy  of  the 
"Kid-Glovers."  Colonel  Buckmill  suddenly  found 
his  prestige  slipping  away  from  him.  He  had  a 
variety  of  boats  for  the  use  of  his  students,  though 
none  of  them  were  sailing  craft.  He  was  no  sailor 
himself,  and  he  had  a  mortal  dread  of  sailboats. 

As  soon  as  he  realized  the  state  of  feeling  among 
his  students,  he  hastened  to  New  York,  where  he 
succeeded  in  finding  a  couple  of  barges  like  thoso 
which  had  been  built  for  the  Beech  Hill  school. 
He  had  purchased  them  at  a  large  price,  and  they 


22  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

had  arrived  a  few  days  before.  Colonel  Buckmill 
was  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman,  but  he  wished  that 
Captain  Gildrock  had  located  his  fanciful  school, 
as  he  regarded  it,  a  thousand  miles  from  Lake 
Champlain. 

"What's  the  matter  now?"  demanded  Matt 
Randolph,  when  the  rebels  rushed  out  on  the  pier 
at  which  the  two  barges  lay.  "I  thought  you 
were  going  to  deprive  us  of  the  pleasure  of  your 
company  to-day." 

"We  have  concluded  to  go  with  you,  and  keep 
you  out  of  hot  water,"  replied  Lew. 

"  And  keep  yourselves  out  of  hot  water,  which 
is  more  sensible,"  added  the  coxswain  of  the  Gild- 
rock,  as  he  seated  his  crew  in  the  boat. 

"I  thought  you  were  not  going  for  fear  some 
one  would  see  you  and  know  that  you  belong  to 
the  B.  H.  I.  S.,"  added  Will  Orwell,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Up  oars ! "  shouted  Matt,  when  the  crew  of 
both  boats  were  seated ;  and  the  order  was  re- 
peated by  Dory. 

Ten  oars  in  each  boat  went  up  to  a  perpen- 
dicular, with  the  flat  side  of  the  blades  parallel 
with  the  thwarts.  The  coxswains  looked  them 
over  to  see  that  all  were  in  proper  position. 

"  Shove  off !  "  continued  the  coxswains. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  23 

The  bow  oarsmen  shoved  off  the  head  of  each 
barge,  and  the  stroke  oarsmen  used  their  boat- 
hooks  until  the  boats  were  clear  of  the  pier. 
Then  the  bowmen  coiled  up  the  painters,  arid  the 
after  oarsmen  took  care  of  the  stern  lines.  When 
they  had  done  this  duty,  they  elevated  their  oars 
without  any  orders. 

"  Let  fall !  "  said  Matt  and  Dory,  when  the  boats 
were  clear  of  the  pier.  The  crews  had  been  so 
well  trained  that  the  twenty-four  oars  struck  the 
water  at  the  same  instant ;  but  the  loom,  or  part 
near  the  handle,  of  the  oars  was  not  allowed  to 
fall  upon  the  rail,  or  into  the  rowlocks.  They 
are  put  in  proper  position  after  they  are  dropped. 

"Give  way — together!"  said  Matt  and  Dory, 
when  they  had  seen  that  each  oarsman  was  ready 
for  the  pull. 

All  the  rowers  caught  the  stroke  the  first  time 
trying,  but  it  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  practice  to 
enable  them  to  do  so.  The  boys  pulled  a  very 
even,  uniform,  ajid  steady  stroke.  All  the  oars 
were  raised  to  the  same  height  above  the  water, 
and  sunk  to  the  same  depth  beneath  its  surface. 

The  barges  were  not  mere  fancy  craft,  built  for 
speed,  and  for  nothing  else.  Considering  their 
great  size  they  were  very  light,  but  they  were 


24  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

strongly  built.  They  were  constructed  after  a 
beautiful  model,  yet  at  the  sjime  time  they  were 
good  sea  boats,  able  and  safe.  As  the  students 
were  liable  to  be  caught  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake  in  rough  weather,  Captain  Gildrock  con- 
sidered staunch  boats  as  necessary  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain  as  on  the  ocean.  The  short,  choppy  sea  of 
the  fresh-water  lakes  is  more  trying  to  any  kind 
of  a  craft  than  the  long  waves  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  two  barges  darted  down  the  lake  as  though 
they  had  been  shot  from  a  gun.  It  was  a  cool 
day,  with  the  wind  fresh  from  the  northwest,  and 
the  crews  were  in  just  the  right  condition  to  do 
their  best  at  the  oars.  Since  their  recent  defeat 
in  the  race,  the  first  class  had  been  working  hard 
to  improve  in  rowing,  and  Matt  Randolph  had 
succeeded  in  imparting  his  own  enthusiasm  to  his 
crew.  But  nothing  was  said  about  another  race, 
for  the  first  class  meant  to  be  sure  before  they 
risked  another  trial.  Dory  Dornwood  saw  what 
the  machinists  —  as  they  sometimes  called  the 
higher  class  —  were  about,  and  he  did  not  go  to 
sleep. 

The  boats  passed  through  the  narrow  outlet  into 
Beaver  River,  and  the  Winooski  appeared  to  have 
lost  a  length  in  coming  down  from  Beech  Hill 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  25 

Lake.  Dory  watched  the  Gildrock,  and  sooti  dis- 
covered that  she  was  gaining  oh  him.  The  other 
crew  had  been  practising  by  themselves  a  good 
deal  lately,  and  it  was  evident  that  Matt  Randolph 
had  made  a  decided  improvement  both  in  style 
and  power  in  the  work  of  his  crew. 

Dory  said  nothing,  and  did  not  attempt  to  in- 
crease the  speed  of  his  boat.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
river  the  Gildrock  was  half  a  dozen  lengths  ahead 
of  him,  and  her  crew  seemed  to  be  exerting  them- 
selves to  widen  the  distance  between  the  two 
barges.  The  boys  of  the  leading  boat  could  see 
the  other  all  the  time,  while  the  Winooskis  could 
not,  for  no  rower  was  allowed  to  look  behind  him. 

"  The  Gildrock  is  half  a  mile  ahead  of  us  !  "  ex- 
claimed Life  Windham,  the  stroke  oarsman  of  the 
Winooski ;  for  the  other  boat  had  changed  her 
course  to  the  southward,  and  a  side  glance  had 
enabled  him  to  see  her. 

"Not  so  bad  as  that,  Life,"  replied  Dory,  with 
a  smile. 

"Don't  let  them  beat  us,  Dory,"  added  Ned 
Bellows,  on  the  next  thwart. 

"  They  have  been  getting  ready  to  whip  us," 
said  Dick  Short.  "  They  have  been  at  work  by 
themselves  for  the  last  week." 


2b  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ', 

"They  have  got  about  all  the  older  and  stouter 
fellows  in  the  school,  and  we  must  expect  that 
they  will  beat  us  sometimes,"  replied  Dory  philo- 
sophically. "  But  we  have  also  been  in  training, 
and  if  they  beat  us  they  have  got  to  work  for  it." 

"  But  they  are  beating  us  !  "  exclaimed  Life,  as 
he  got  another  glance  at  the  Gildrock.  "  Matt 
Randolph  has  been  putting  in  some  extra  New 
York  touches,  and  it  is  all  up  with  us." 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  Dory  quietly.  "  We  have 
been  taking  it  easy,  and  they  have  been  using  their 
muscle.  Wait  a  little." 

By  this  time  every  boy  in  the  Winooski  was 
aware  that  the  Gildrock  was  running  away  from 
them,  and  the  fact  vexed  and  annoyed  them.  If 
they  were  beaten,  even  in  a  "  scrub  race,"  Dory 
would  lose  a  portion  of  his  popularity.  The  cox- 
swain watched  the  other  boat,  but  he  did  nothing 
to  increase  the  speed  of  the  Winooski.  Some  of 
the  boys  in  the  bout  began  to  grumble,  though 
conversation  was  not  allowed  while  rowing. 

"No  talking  in  the  boat,  if  you  please,  fel- 
lows," the  coxswain  interposed,  and  the  grum- 
bling ceased. 

Dory  could  see  that  the  Gildrocks  were  strain- 
ing themselves  to  run  away  from  the  Winooski. 


OR,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  27 

The  first  class  fellows  were  not  so  far  off  that  he 
could  not  read  the  expression  of  their  faces,  and 
see  the  smiles  of  satisfaction  with  which  they  re- 
garded their  advantage.  He  permitted  them  to 
enjoy  their  victory,  as  they  evidently  regarded  it, 
until  they  were  at  least  twenty-five  lengths  ahead. 
Matt  Randolph  frequently  looked  behind  him  to 
note  the  position  of  his  rival. 

All  at  once  the  oars  of  the  Gildrock  ceased  to 
move,  but  every  blade  was  in  proper  position. 
Then  came  three  rousing  cheers  from  her  crew, 
with  a  tiger  at  the  end.  This  was  certainly  crow- 
ing over  the  victory:  The  Winooskis,  except  the 
coxswain,  were  vexed,  and  even  angry.  Some  of 
them  began  to  grumble  again  ;  but  Dory  laughed, 
and  called  for  silence  in  the  boat.  The  crew 
obeyed  the  order,  for  they  had  come  to  believe 
that  Dory  knew  what  he  was  about  "every  time." 

His  crew  soon  knew  what  he  was  about,  for  he 
straightened  up  his  wiry  little  frame,  and  then  be- 
gan to  sway  it  back  and  forward  to  regulate  the 
stroke  of  the  rowers.  In  a  few  minutes  every 
muscle  was  strained  up  to  its  utmost  tension. 
The  Winooski  began  to  fly  through  the  Avater. 
There  was  quite  a  smart  sea  on  the  lake,  which 
Dory  took  into  account,  and  humored  the  boat  as 
it  met  the  waves. 


28  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

The  Gildrocks  saw  what  Dory  was  doing,  and 
Matt  set  his  crew  on  the  strain  again.  At  the  end 
of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  Gildrock  was  less  than 
a  length  ahead.  The  crew  of  the  first  class  boat 
were  in  a  terrible  state  of  excitement.  They  could 
see  the  other  boat,  and  the  effect  upon  them  was 
bad  when  the  Winooski  began  to  gain  on  them. 
The  Gildrocks  were  demoralized. 

In  three  minutes  more  the  Winooski  had  passed 
the  other  barge. 

"  Stand  by  to  toss  !  "  said  Dory  quietly. 

The  complimentary  salute  was  given,  but  the 
coxswain  declined  to  call  for  three  cheers. 


CHAPTER   III. 

DORY   DORNWOOD    ARGUES    THE    QUESTION. 

TTOW  did  we  do  it,  Dory?"  asked  Life  Wind- 
ham,  utterly  astonished  at  the  result  of  the 
impromptu  race,  as  were  all  the  other  members  of 
the  crew. 

"  We  did  it  by  minding  our  own  business," 
replied  the  coxswain,  as  much  pleased  as  though 
he  had  won  a  rich  prize. 

"Can't  we  give  them  three  cheers,  Dory?" 
inquired  Ben  Ludlow. 

"No  cheers,  fellows,"  replied  Dory,  shaking  his 
head  to  emphasize  his  decision. 

"But  the  Gildrocks  cheered  when  they  got 
ahead  of  us,"  suggested  Ben  Ludlow. 

"  No  matter  if  they  did ;  it  was  bad  taste,  and 
they  crowed  before  they  were  out  of  the  woods." 

"But  I  don't  understand  how  it  was  that  we 
happened  to  beat  them,"  persisted  Life  Windham. 
"  As  you  said,  they  have  most  of  the  older  and 
stouter  fellows  in  their  crew." 

29 


30  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  J 

"They  ought  to  beat  us  every  time,"  added 
Ned  Bellows. 

"  Age  and  strength  alone  won't  make  the  best 
rowers,"  replied  Dory  sagely.  "  Some  of  the 
fellows  in  the  other  boat  are  rather  heavy  and 
clumsy,  and,  without  boasting,  I  believe  they  have 
not  got  the  knack  of  rowing  well  yet." 

"  Do  you  think  we  have  got  the  knack,  Dory?" 
asked  Phil  Gawner. 

"  I  think  we  have  got  it  better  than  the  fellows 
in  the  other  boat,  though  we  have  a  good  deal  to 
learn  yet.  You  have  more  spring,  elasticity,  than 
the  other  fellows.  But,  fellows,  we  beat  them 
by  discipline.  You  grumble  because  I  don't  want 
you  to  talk  and  look  behind  you  ;  but  you  obeyed 
orders,  and  that 's  what  did  the  business." 

"The  first  class  fellows  didn't  talk  or  look  be- 
hind them,"  said  Life. 

"They  had  no  occasion  to  look  behind  them,  for 
they  could  see  our  boat  without,"  replied  the 
coxswain.  "  When  they  saw  us  gaining  on  them 
they  were  excited,  and  in  a  little  while  they  got 
demoralized.  You  could  n't  see  them,  and  you 
did  your  very  best." 

"Matt  Randolph  is  making  a  speech  at  them," 
said  Dick  Short,  laughing. 


OR,  BUILDING    THE   HOUSE.  31 

"  He  knows  why  he  was  beaten,  and  he  is  tell- 
ing his  crew  about  it,"  added  Dory. 

The  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock  was  certainly 
talking  as  though  he  "  meant  business,"  for  his 
words  and  his  gestures  were  very  earnest.  He 
and  Dory  had  talked  about  the  subject  upon 
which  Matt  was  at  this  moment  eloquent.  Both 
agreed  that  if  all  the  oarsmen  could  be  blindfolded 
they  would  do  better  in  a  race.  It  was  the 
province  of  discipline  to  keep  them  unmindful  of 
success  or  defeat. 

"  Stand  by  to  lay  on  your  oars  ! "  called  Dory 
suddenly,  while  his  crew  were  still  watching  the 
gesticulations  of  Matt  Randolph. 

The  crew  of  the  Winooski,  who  had  been  pull- 
ing very  leisurely  for  some  minutes,  gave  attention 
to  their  officer  at  once. 

"  Oars  ! "  added  Dory  :  and,  the  moment  he  gave 
the  word,  the  oars  were  levelled  at  right  angles  with 
the  length  of  the  boat,  with  the  blades  feathered. 

All  the  crew  looked  at  the  coxswain,  wondering 
what  was  coming,  for  they  had  taken  a  rest  after 
the  Gildrock  was  beaten,  and  were  not  in  need  of 
another.  This  was  the  usual  position  of  the  crew 
when  the  officer  had  anything  to  say,  or  any 
announcement  to  make. 


32  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

"  Now  you  may  look  behind  you,  if  you  wish," 
continued  Dory,  with  a  meaning  smile. 

Every  rower  believed  there  was  something  to  be 
seen,  or  the  permission  would  not  have  been  given, 
and  they  all  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 

"  The  kid-glovers  afloat !  "  shouted  Thad  Glover- 
ing,  in  the  bow. 

"  Gentility  on  the  wave ! "  exclaimed  Life 
Windham. 

"  The  dudes  in  the  spray  !"  added  Jim  Alburgh. 

"  The  exquisites  on  a  racket !  "  cried  Nat  Long. 

"  Dandies  on  the  brine  !  "  chuckled  Ben  Ludlow. 

"  Fresh-water  brine,"  added  Dory. 

"  They  are  pulling  towards  Sandy  Beach,"  said 
Corny  Minkfield. 

All  these  sarcastic  remarks  were  called  forth  by 
the  appearance  ahead  of  two  barges,  similar  to 
those  belonging  to  the  Beech  Hill  school.  They 
were  very  gaily  painted,  and,  whatever  their  merits 
for  speed  and  ability,  they  were  quite  as  handsome 
as  the  Gildrock  and  Winooski. 

"  Twig  the  uniform  !  "  exclaimed  Ned  Bellows. 

O 

"But  that's  only  a  boat  uniform,"  replied  Life 
Windham,  who  was  one  .of  the  incipient  rebels. 
"  None  of  our  fellows  object  to  the  uniform  they 
on  board  of  the  Sylph." 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  33 

The  uniform  of  the  Chesterfields  —  for  there 
was  no  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  the  occupants 
of  the  barges  —  was  blue  flannel,  trimmed  with 
white.  It  was  very  fanciful,  and  rather  a  sen- 
sational costume. 

"I  suppose  every  one  of  them  wears  an  eye- 
glass, and  has  a  cane  under  his  thwart,"  laughed 
Phil  Gawner. 

"  And  every  one  parts  his  hair  in  the  middle,  so 
as  to  keep  the  boats  on  an  even  keel,"  added  Lick 
Milton. 

"  Anything  more  ?  "  inquired  Dory. 

"  I  wonder  if  they  row  in  kid  gloves,"  said  Ben 
Ludlow. 

The  boys  seemed  to  have  exhausted  their  terms 
applicable  to  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  Col- 
legiate Institute,  and  a  silence  followed.  There 
could  be  no  mistaking  the  sentiment  of  the  crew 
of  the  Winooski.  They  were  disposed  to  ridicule 
and  lampoon  the  young  gentlemen  without  mercy. 
Possibly  there  was  some  justification  or  palliation 
for  the  manifestation  of  this  spirit,  for  the 
Chesterfields  had  applied  offensive  terms  to  them 
on  several  occasions. 

"  Now,  fellows,  I  should  like  to  have  you  hear 
me  for  a  moment,"  said  Dory,  when  the  crew 


34  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

appeared  to  have  exhausted  their  supply  of 
taunts. 

"All  right,  Dory:  propel, "answered Phil Gawner. 

"  Those  boats  seem  to  be  going  to  Sandy 
Beach  ;  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not 
go  there  also." 

"Of  course  it  isn't!"  exclaimed  Ben  Ludlow. 
r'  We  have  as  much  right  at  Sandy  Beach  as  they 
have  ,  and  if  they  want  to  prevent  us  from  going 
there,  there  will  be  music  in  the  air." 

"  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  they  will  try  to 
prevent  us  from  going  there,"  added  Dory. 
"Those  fellows  claim  to  be  gentlemen,  and 
Colonel  Buckmill  claims  it  for  them." 

"The  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  eating  the 
bag,"  said  Ben  Ludlow. 

"  This  is  a  baked  pudding,  and  there  is  n't  any 
bag,"  returned  Dory.  "  If  those  fellows  are 
gentlemen  they  have  made  some  slips,  to  put 
it  in  the  softest  way  we  can.  They  have  yelled 
at  us,  and  called  us  '  tinkers,'  which  is  not  a 
gentlemanly  way  to  do  things." 

"  That 's  it ;  and  we  will  give  them  some  of  the 
same  sauce,"  said  Phil  Gawner,  with  a  threatening 
shake  of  the  head. 

"  That 's  the  very  thing  we  will  not  do ! "  ex- 


OR,   BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  80 

claimed  Dory,  with  very  heavy  emphasis.  "  If  the 
Chesterfields  behave  in  an  ungentlemanly  manner, 
there  is  not  the  slightest  reason  why  we  should  do 
so." 

"Do  you  mean  to  let  them  call  us  names?" 
demanded  Lick  Milton,  with  a  great  show  of 
indignation. 

"  I  am  not  responsible  for  what  they  do :  only 
for  what  I  do  myself,"  answered  the  coxswain,  with 
dignity  enough  for  the  principal  of  a  high  school. 

"  But  we  are  not  going  to  shut  our  mouths  and 
let  them  insult  us,"  protested  Ben  Ludlow. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  insulting  you,  Ben*" 
asked  Dory  quietly. 

"  They  call  us  members  of  the  '  Tinkers'  In- 
stitute ; '  and  that  is  an  insult  to  the  school  to 
which  we  belong.  For  one,  I  won't  stand  it !  " 

"  What  do  you  intend  to  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  pay  them  back  in  their  own  coin." 

"  Call  them  dudes,  kid-glovers,  exquisites, 
dandies,  milksops,  and  anything  else  we  can 
think  of,"  added  Ned  Bellows. 

"  Will  calling  them  all  these  names  wipe  out  the 
insult  ?  "  asked  the  dignified  coxswain  ;  but  it  should 
be  said,  to  his  credit,  that  he  was  dignified  only 
when  he  was  discussing  great  moral  questions  as- 
the  officer  in  command  of  the  barge. 


36  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

rt  We  shall  get  even  with  them  in  that  way," 
answered  Ben  Ludlow. 

"  If  one  of  them  should  steal  your  watch,  Ben, 
it  would  make  him  a  thief  —  would  it  not?" 

"No  doubt  of  that." 

"  Then  you  would  steal  his  watch,  and  thus  get 
even  with  him,  would  you?"  continued  Dory, 
pressing  his  point  with  vigor. 

"  I  don't  say  that  I  would,"  replied  Ben. 

"  You  would  certainly  get  even  with  him  in  thut 
way.  I  should  like  to  have  you  answer  the 
question,  Ben." 

« I  should  serve  him  right  if  I  did  steal  his 
watch  after  he  had  taken  mine,"  replied  the 
cornered  oarsman. 

"  That  don't  answer  the  question,  and,  after  what 
you  say,  I  must  take  it  for  granted  that  you  would 
steal  his  watch." 

"I  did  n't  say  I  would." 

"If  you  did  steal  his  watch,  would  you,  or 
would  you  not  be  a  thief?" 

Ben  Ludlow  did  not  like  to  answer  this  question, 
and  he  was  silent. 

"  Of  course  he  would  be  a  thief ! "  exclaimed 
Life  Windham  ;  and  half  a  dozen  others  took  this 
view  of  the  question. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  oV 

"If  the  owner  of  the  watch  should  prosecute 
you,  would  the  judge  decide  that  taking  the  watch 
was  not  stealing  because  the  owner  of  it  had  stolen 
your  watch  before  you  did  it?" 

"  Stealing  is  stealing,  of  course,"  answered  Ben 
Ludlow. 

"Then  you  would  both  be  thieves,"  added  Dory 
clinching  his  argument. 

"There  is  no  getting  away  from  that  con- 
clusion," said  Ned  Bellows ;  and  the  rest  of  the 
crew  indorsed  his  opinion. 

"  I  suppose  one  who  calls  names  is  a  blackguard. 
When  the  students  of  the  Collegiate  Institute  call 
us  '  tinkers '  '  greasy  mechanics '  or  any  other 
offensive  names,  they  are  blackguards,"  continued 
Dory. 

"  No  doubt  of  that,  the  blackguards  !  "  exclaimed 
Dick  Short. 

"  Good !  We  proceed  to  call  them  '  dudes,' 
'kid-glovers,'  'exquisites'  and  such  terms,  and 
straightway  we  become  blackguards  also." 

"  I  don 't  think  stealing  and  hitting  back  are  the 
same  thing,"  growled  Ben  Ludlow,  who  felt  that 
he  was  thoroughly  beaten  in  the  argument. 

"  But  what  makes  a  thief  or  a  blackguard  on 
one  side  of  the  lake  makes  a  thief  or  a  blackguard 
on  the  other  side,"  added  Dory. 


38  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

"  Now,  fellows,  you  huve  just  won  a  victory  bj 
holding  your  tongues  and  minding  your  OWR 
business.  I  want  you  to  obey  orders,  and  win 
another  victory  m  the  same  way." 

"All  right,  Dory ;  we  will  obey  orders,  for  you 
get  us  through  every  time  when  we  do,"  said 
Corny  Mmkfield. 

"But  I  think  we  ought  to  give  them  some  if 
they  are  saucy  to  us,"  persisted  Ben  Ludlow. 

tf  We  will  give  them  some  —  some  instruction 
in  gentlemanly  behavior  if  they  need  it,"  replied 
Dory.  "  Give  way  !  " 

Ben  Ludlow  raised  no  farther  objection,  and 
the  boat  went  ahead  again  in  the  direction  of 
Sandy  Beach. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    CHESTERFIELDS    HANG   OUT   THEIR   BANNERS. 


a  fellow  will  speak  without  orders,"  saul 
Dory  Dornwood,  as  the  Winooski  approached 
Sandy  Beach. 

The  coxswain  of  the  barge  felt  that  a  great  re- 
sponsibility rested  upon  him  He  had  no  doubt 
the  young  gentlemen  of  the  Chesterfield  Colle- 
giate Institute  would  indulge  in  epithets  when 
they  came  within  hail  of  the  Beech  Hill  boat,  for 
they  never  failed  to  do  it  whenever  the  opportu- 
nity was  presented.  Matt  Randolph  was  still 
laying  down  the  law  to  his  crew,  and  the  Gildrock 
was  not  within  a  mile  of  the  little  cove  at  the  head 
of  which  was  Sandy  Beach. 

If  the  crew  of  the  Winooski  retorted,  as  they 
were  disposed  to  do,  there  would  be  a  war  of  epi- 
thets, and  the  affair  would  not  be  likely  to  end 
without  a  fight.  No  one  on  board  questioned  the 
coxswain's  pluck.  Some  of  them  called  him  a 
"  conundrum,"  because  they  could  not  understand 
him. 


40  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

Oscar  Chester  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
greatest  fighting  character  in  the  school,  though 
he  had  earned  his  name  in  other  fields.  Yet  Dory 
had  "  knocked  him  out "  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye.  But  the  coxswain  always  did  his  best  to 
avoid  a  quarrel  of  any  sort,  and  never  bullied  or 
crowded  anyone 

Now  he  would  not  allow  his  crew  to  retaliate 
upon  the  Chesterfields,  whatever  they  said,  or 
however  abusive  they  became.  The  crew  of  the 
second  class  boat  had  never  seen  a  fellow  like  him. 
But  he  had  proved  that  he  was  able  to  take  care 
of  himself  and  of  them,  and  they  were  disposed 
to  follow  his  lead. 

The  three  boats  were  approaching  the  cove,  the 
course  of  the  Winooski  being  at  right  angles  with 
that  of  the  Institute  boats.  They  were  now  near 
enough  to  enable  Dory  to  take  the  measure  of  the 
rival  craft,  and  their  crews.  Under  the  lee  of  the 
west  shore  the  water  was  quite  smooth,  so  that  the 
Chesterfields  had  no  sea  to  contend  against. 

To  the  experienced  eyes  of  the  coxswain  of  the 
Winooski  it  was  plain  at  a  glance  that  the  gen- 
tlemanly oarsmen  had  no  skill  in  rowing,  and  had 
had  no  proper  instruction  in  the  art.  A  few  days' 
practice  enabled  them  to  pull  together ;  but  this 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  41 

was  about  all  that  could  he  said  of  their  opera- 
tions. As  it  was  understood  on  board  of  the 
Beech  Hill  barge's,  there  was  no  such  thing  as  dis- 
cipline in  them.  The  crew  were  turning  and 
twisting  about  on  the  thwarts,  all  of  them  engaged 
in  noisy  conversation. 

The  Chesterfields  were  staring  with  all  their 
eyes  at  the  Winooski,  and  their  remarks  evidently 
applied  to  her.  They  were  out  for  a  good  time, 
and  they  seemed  to  be  having  it.  Dory's  crew 
had  put  themselves  on  their  good  behavior,  and 
not  one  of  them  looked  to  the  right  or  the  left, 
much  less  behind  him.  They  pulled  a  very  easy 
stroke,  and  they  all  worked  as  though  they  were 
parts  of  the  same  machine.  But  those  in  the 
other  boats  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  impressed 
by  the  ease  and  grace  of  their  movements. 

The  three  boats  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  cove 
at  the  same  time.  The  attention  of  every  student 
in  the  Chesterfield  boats  was  directed  towards  the 
Winooski.  They  were  giving  more  thought  to  the 
Beech  Hill  craft  than  to  their  own. 

"Go  it,  Tinkers,"  yelled  one  of  them,  as  the 
boats  came  within  hailing  distance. 

"Put  her  through,  Chip-splitters,"  shouted  an- 
other. 


42  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

"  Let  her  drive,  Cog-greasers,"  yelled  a  third. 

fr  Shove  her  along,  Shaving-makers,"  screamed 
a  fourth ;  and  all  of  them  cried  as  though  they 
meant  to  be  heard. 

The  blood  of  the  Beech  Killers  boiled  in  their 
veins  ;  but  when  they  looked  at  the  coxswain,  and 
saw  a  smile  upon  his  face,  they  repressed  their 
indignation  as  well  as  they  could,  and  tried  to  be 
as  cool  as  Dory  Dornwood.  The  two  barges 
came  nearer,  and  the  offensive  epithets  were  re- 
peated, with  many  new  ones  added.  Still  Dory 
Dornwood  smiled  serenely  in  the  consciousness 
that  he  and  his  companions  had  not  yet  become 
blackguards. 

"  Stand  by  to  toss  !  "  called  the  coxswain,  while 
the  disagreeable  names  were  still  showered  upon 
them. 

Tossing  the  oars  is  a  complimentary  naval  sa- 
lute ;  and  Dory  was  determined  to  treat  the  young 
gentlemen  of  the  Collegiate  Institute  politely, 
whether  they  deserved  it  or  not.  Probably  the 
crew  of  the  Winooski  did  not  relish  this  idea 
of  "turning  the  other  cheek  also,"  but  they  had 
promised  to  obey  orders,  and  they  meant  to  do  it 
this  time,  if  it  killed  them. 

''Toss!"  added  Dory,  at  the  proper  time;  and 


OK,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  43 

the  twelve  oars  went  into  the  air  as  though  tlws 
oarsmen  were  in  love  with  the  Chesterfields. 

"  The  Greasers  are  showing  off ! "  exclaimed 
some  one  in  the  leading  barge. 

"  Set  them  up  again  ! "  cried  another. 

"  Let  fall ! "  said  Dory,  giving  no  heed  to  the 
shouts. 

The  oars  dropped  into  the  water  all  as  one,  and 
Dory  added  the  order  to  give  way. 

"They  don't  understand  the  salute,"  said  the 
coxswain,  as  the  hoys  resumed  their  stroke  with 
as  much  precision  as  though  there  had  been  noth- 
ing to  divert  their  attention. 

The  steady  pulling  on  board  of  the  Winooski 
set  her  into  the  cove  some  distance  ahead  of  the 
two  barges,  and  by  this  time  the  crew  could  see 
the  occupants  of  the  other  craft  without  breaking 
the  rule.  When  they  saw  the  awkward  rowing 
of  the  Chesterfields,  they  could  hardly  repress 
their  mirth,  but  they  succeeded  in  confining  it  to 
smiles,  in  some  cases  exaggerated  into  broad 
grins,  but  not  one  of  them  uttered  the  shouts  of 
derision  that  were  at  the  ends  of  their  tongues. 

On  the  bow  of  the  leading  boat  Dory  saw  the 
name  Dasher,  and  a  glance  at  the  other  showed 
that  she  was  the  Racer.  As  these  names  had 


44  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

no  doubt  been  selected  by  the  gentlemanly  stu- 
dents themselves,  —  for  Colonel  Buckmill  would 
certainly  have  chosen  classic  appellations,  —  they 
conveyed  some  idea  of  the  boating  views  of  their 
crews.  Racer  was  suggestive  of  trials  of  speed, 
and  they  would  not  have  been  boys  if  they  had  not 
desired  and  expected  to  beat  something.  Dasher 
was  hardly  less  suggestive,  and  perhaps  took  in 
the  additional  idea  of  breaking  something. 

The  Dashers  and  the  Racers  had  given  so  much 
attention  to  the  TVmooski  that  they  lost  sight  of 
their  own  beautiful  craft ;  and  they  began  to  "catch 
crabs,"  punch  each  other  with  the  handles  of  the 
oars,  and  allow  things  generally  to  fall  out  of  joint, 
so  that  they  were  soon  in  a  sweet  snarl.  The  crew 
of  the  Winooski  were  on  the  very  point  of  break- 
ing out  into  a  roar  of  derision,  for  the  sight  was 
too  much  for  them. 

"  Steady,  fellows,"  said  Dory,  in  a  mild  tone. 
"  Keep  her  just  as  she  is." 

The  words  restored  the  crew  to  their  self-pos- 
session, and  they  straightened  their  faces  with  a 
hard  struggle.  The  coxswain  of  the  Dasher  spoke 
a  few  sharp  words  to  his  crew,  and  restored  order 
in  his  boat. 

"I  say,  Greasers,"  shouted  he,  a  moment  later, 


OB,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  45 

making  a  gesture  as  if  beckoning  to  the  Win- 
ooski. 

Dory  did  not  heed  the  call  or  the  sign. 

"Halloo!  I  say,  you  fellows  from  the  Tinkers' 
Institute  ! "  yelled  Wash  Barker,  coxswain  of  the 
Dasher,  as  his  name  and  style  were  afterwards 
found  to  be. 

The  crew  of  the  Winooski  still  pulled  their  easy 
stroke,  and  Dory  took  no  notice  of  the  offensive 
hail. 

"  I  say,  you  Chip-makers  !  Are  you  all  deaf? 
Don't  you  hear  me  ?  "  screamed  Wash  Barker  in  a 
still  louder  tone. 

But  Dory  would  not  have  heard  him  if  his  voice 
had  been  an  earthquake  while  he  mixed  an  epithet 
into  his  remark. 

"Don't  you  want  to  race  with  us,  Tinkers?" 
called  Mad  Twinker,  the  coxswain  of  the  Racer, 
which  had  now  come  up  abreast  of  the  Dasher. 

"  Steady,  fellows,"  said  Dory  in  a  low  tone. 

"I  should  like  to  try  a  race  with  those  fellows," 
added  Life  Windham ;  and  half  a  dozen  others 
indorsed  the  wish. 

"It  would  be  no  race  at  all ;  if  we  should  give 
them  a  mile,  we  could  beat  them  in  going  two," 
replied  Dory. 


46  SQUARE    AND'  COMPASSES  J 

"  It  will  do  them  good  to  beat  them,"  suggested 
Ned  Bellows. 

"While  they  call  us  names  I  shall  have  nothing 
to  say  or  do  with  them,"  added  the  coxswain. 

"I  should  like  to  get  even  with  them  in  some 
way,"  said  Ben  Ludlow  ;  for,  "  though  beaten,  he 
could  argue  still." 

"  I  don't  want  to  get  even  with  them.  We  arc 
a  long  way  ahead  of  them  in  gentlemanly  conduct, 
and  we  should  have  to  fall  back  a  long  distance  to 
be  even  with  them,"  answered  the  coxswain. 

This  remark  satisfied  most  of  the  crew,  and  was 
even  comforting  to  Ben  Ludlow.  The  Chester- 
fields continued  to  yell  at  the  Winooski,  exer- 
cising their  inventing  powers  in  inventing  new 
terms  of  derision  to  apply  to  the  Beech  Hill  stu- 
dents. Dory  maintained  his  policy  of  silence  to 
the  end,  and  very  likely  the  collegiate  gentlemen 
thought  they  were  treated  with  contempt. 

The  Winooski  ran  up  to  the  beach  at  the  head 
of  the  cove,  and  her  crew  landed.  The  Gild- 
rock  was  not  yet  in  sight,  and  it  was  apparent 
that  Matt  Randolph  was  taking  his  defeat  very 
much  to  heart,  and  was  training  his  crew.  The 
second  class  boat  was  carefully  secured,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  more  the  crew  were  swimming  at 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  47 

some  distance  from  the  shore,  for  they  had  to  go 
out  at  least  ten  rods  to  find  water  that  was  over 
their  heads. 

The  boys  were  enthusiastic  in  this  recreation, 
as  they  were  in  the  boats,  and  they  soon  forgot 
the  scenes  in  which  the  Chesterfields  had  taken 
part.  They  had  received  plenty  of  instruction  in 
swimming,  and  what  they  needed  now  was  abun- 
dant practice.  But  by  this  time  there  was  not  a 
single  one  of  them  who  could  not  sustain  himself 
and  make  fair  progress  in  the  deep  water. 

The  Dasher  and  the  Racer  had  also  run  to  the 
beach,  and  their  crews  had  landed.  Dory  sup- 
posed they  were  going  into  the  water,  and  he 
hardly  gave  a  thought  to  them.  For  a  time  they 
gathered  in  knots  on  the  shore,  and  seemed  to  be 
busy  talking  together.  Then  they  began  to  walk 
about,  and  extended  their  ramble  to  a  considerable 
distance.  They  did  not  go  into  the  water,  and  at 
the  end  of  half  an  hour  they  embarked  in  their 
boats  and  pulled  out  of  the  cove. 

But  they  did  not  go  a  great  way.  At  the  en- 
trance to  the  cove,  half  a  mile  distant,  they  lay 
upon  their  oars.  Thus  far  the  Winooskis  had 
been  so  busy  with  their  sports  in  the  water  that 
they  hardly  heeded  the  Chesterfields.  The  young 


48  SQUARE   AND  COMPASSES. 

gentlemen  had  departed,  and  the  skirmishing  for 
that  day  appeared  to  be  at  an  end. 

"  What  are  those  fellows  about  ?  "  shouted  Corny 
Minkfield,  when  the  operations  of  the  Chester- 
fields attracted  his  attention. 

Every  member  of  the  Winooski's  crew  glanced 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  two  barges  had 
been  last  seen.  The  boats  were  at  rest  at  the 
entrance  of  the  cove ;  but  their  crews  were  not 
laying  on  their  oars.  Each  one  of  them  had 
raised  something  like  a  flag  or  a  rag  on  his  blade. 
They  were  all  yelling  like  maniacs,  and  flaunting 
these  banners  in  the  air.  The  Winooskis  swam  to 
shallow  water,  and  stood  upon  their  feet.  It  was 
time  to  go  out,  and  they  went  ashore. 

The  Chesterfields  had  stolen  their  clothes  ;  and 
these  garments  were  the  banners  they  flaunted. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JUST    BEFORE   THE    BATTLE. 

have  stolen  our  clothes !  "  shouted  Ben 
Ludlow,  who  was  the  first  to  discover  the 
mischief  that  had  been  done. 

"  Shall  we  steal  theirs  if  we  can  get  hold  of 
them?"  asked  Dory 

"  We  can't  get  hold  of  them,"  replied  Ben,  who 
was  not  disposed  to  renew  the  former  discussion. 

"Perhaps  we  can  ;  we  know  where  they  are, 
and  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  go  and  take  them," 
added  the  coxswain,  with  a  smile  and  a  shrug  of 
the  shoulders. 

"  But  the  fellows  have  them  on,"    Ben  objected. 

"That  has  nothing  to   do  with  the  right  and 

O  o 

wrong  of  the  question,"  continued  Dory. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  get  back  our  own  clothes 
before  we  talk  of  stealing  theirs,"  said  Ben.  w  I 
am  cold  now  I  have  come  out  of  the  water,  and  I 
want  my  shirt  and  trousers." 

"  We  are  all  in  the  same  pickle,"  laughed  Dory, 
as  he  glanced  at  the  boats  of  the  Chesterfields. 


50  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

The  collegiate  gentlemen  seemed  to  be  afraid 
the  Beech  Killers  would  not  know  what  had  be- 
come of  their  garments,  and  they  were  flaunting 
them  in  the  air  as  a  matter  of  information  to  their 
rivals.  And  they  seemed  to  be  enjoying  the  situa- 
tion hugely,  and  the  shouts  of  derision  and  the 
roars  of  laughter  came  across  the  waters  thick 
enough  to  stir  up  all  the  bad  blood  in  the  veins  of 
the  Winooskis.. 

"  We  are  in  a  pretty  fix,"  exclaimed  Phil 
Gawner,  as  he  extended  his  arms  as  an  athlete 
would  exhibit  his  muscles. 

The  principal  required  every  student  to  wear 
trunks  when  he  bathed,  and  was  very  strict  in  en- 
forcing the  rule.  When  the  second  class  came  out 
of  the  water,  they  were  certainly  in  uniform, 
though  it  was  rather  unique  in  style.  It  was  a 
cool  day,  and  cooler  on  the  shore  than  it  was  in 
the  water.  Most  of  the  boys  began  to  shiver  as 
they  stood  on  the  beach,  and  the  situation  was 
very  uncomfortable  as  well  as  very  annoying,  so 
far  as  the  proprieties  of  society  were  concerned. 

"  I  shall  freeze  to  death,"  said  Lick  Milton,  his 
teeth  chattering  like  those  of  a  person  with  the 
ague. 

"  So  shall  I !  And  we  shall  all  catch  our  death 
of  cold,"  added  Jim  Alburgh. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  51 

"  I  have  one  cold  now,  and  I  shall  have  another 
on  top  of  it,"  shivered  Corny  Minkfield. 

"  All  the  crew  in  the  boat !  "  shouted  Dory,  with 
a  vim  that  showed  he  was  determined  to  do  some- 
thins:. 

"All  aboard!"  cried  half  a  dozen  others,  as 
they  tumbled  into  the  barge. 

Half  the  crew  were  required  to  shove  her  off 
before  they  took  their  places ;  but  in  a  minute 
they  were  all  afloat,  wondering  what  the  brisk 
coxswain  intended  to  do. 

"We  can  get  warm  if  we  can't  da  anything 
else,"  said  Dory,  as  he  took  the  tiller  lines  in  his 
hands,  "Up  oars !  Shove  off!  Let  fall !  Give 
way  !  "  The  last  order  was  given  when  the  boat 
had  been  shoved  clear  of  the  sands  of  the  beach, 
and  had  come  about  so  that  it  was  headed  out  into 
the  lake. 

The  unclothed  rowers  bent  to  their  oars,  and  the 
Winooski  began  to  spin  through  the  water.  The 
exercise  was  in  the  highest  degree  exhilarating 
under  the  circumstances.  Dory  had  the  worst  of 
it  for  he  had  no  oar  to  pull ;  but  he  swayed  his 
body  with  more  than  usual  vigor,  and  the  wind  of 
the  crew  was  not  likely  to  last  a  great  while  under 
the  rapid  movements  required  of  them. 


A2  •  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

The  coxswain  shook  up  his  frame  and  muscles 
.ill  he  could,  and  he  soon  ceased  to  shiver.  A 
couple  of  minutes  were  enough  to  send  a  glow 
through  the  veins  of  the  rowers,  and  they  were 
soon  as  warm  as  though  they  had  been  clothed  in 
their  overcoats. 

The  Dasher  and  the  Racer  continued  to  flaunt 
their  banners  in  the  air,  and  to  send  their  shouts 
of  derision  over  the  water,  until  the  Winooski  had 
reached  her  highest  speed.  Very  likely  Wash 
Barker  and  Mad  Twinker  had  some  idea  of  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  Beech  Hill  barge  was  ap- 
proaching them.  At  any  rate  they  hauled  down 
their  banners,  and  got  their  oars  into  the  water. 

In  spite  of  their  present  semi-nude  condition, 
the  Winooskis  were  still  under  the  influence  of 
the  usual  discipline,  and  they  did  not  attempt  to 
look  behind  them,  or  otherwise  to  inquire  into  the 
movements  of  the  Chesterfields.  But  the  cox- 
swain knew  that  the  curiosity  of  a  boy  is  almost 
as  strong  as  his  love  of  fun,  and  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  giving  his  companions  all  the  information 
that  would  interest  them. 

"The  Chesterfields  have  taken  down  the  clothes 
and  are  pulling  with  all  their  might  to  keep  out 
of  our  reach,"  said  he,  when  he  was  warm  enough 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  53 

to  use  his  organs  of  speech  without  stammer- 
ing. 

"  That  is  not  saying  much,"  replied  Life 
Windham. 

"  We  shall  overhaul  them  in  about  three  min- 
utes," added  Dory. 

"What  then,  Dory?"  asked  Ben  Ludlow,  but 
his  wind  was  so  nearly  gone  that  he  could  hardly 
speak. 

"I  don't  know,  that  depends,"  answered  the 
coxswain. 

"If  they  don't  choose  to  give  us  back  our 
clothes,  I  don't  see  that  we  can  do  anything," 
said  Life  Windham. 

"  Perhaps  we  can,  we  will  see." 

But  Dory  was  very  anxious  in  regard  to  the 
situation,  and  he  found  it  very  difficult  to  decide 
what  to  do.  True  to  his  antecedents,  he  wished  to 
avoid  a  quarrel,  or  even  a  dispute,  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Collegiate  Institute.  If  he  went  near 
them  there  was  sure  to  be  trouble ;  but  it  would 
be  impossible  to  recover  the  clothes  without 
approaching  them. 

There  were  only  two  courses  open  to  him  :  one 
was  to  return  to  Beech  Hill  with  his  naked  crew, 
and  the  other  was  to  confront  the  Chesterfields ; 


54  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

and  a  meeting  might  result  in  their  being  obliged 
to  so  back  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake  in  their 

O 

present  novel  uniform.  It  would  be  humiliating 
to  return  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  to  encounter 
the  derision  of  the  first  class. 

Was  it  necessary  for  him  to  submit  to  every 
indignity  without  resistance  in  order  to  avoid  a 
quarrel?  Must  his  crew  submit  to  being  robbed 
of  their  clothes  rather  than  stand  up  for  their 
rights?  Must  they  abandon  their  property  rather 
than  make  an  effort  to  reclaim  it, —  rather  than  run 
the  risk  of  a  quarrel  ? 

Dory  decided  these  questions  in  the  negative 
very  promptly.  His  religion  was  stalwart  enough 
to  make  him  believe  there  was  such  a  thing  as 
carrying  even  meekness  too  far.  If  there  proved 
to  be  a  quarrel,  he  should  go  into  it  with  clean 
hands,  having  done  nothing  to  provoke  it ;  and 
what  was  true  of  himself  personally  was  true  of 
every  member  of  his  crew.  Not  one  of  them  had 
uttered  a  jeer  or  a  taunt  in  the  hearing  of  the 
assailants.  They  had  minded  their  own  business 
in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  phrase ;  and  whatever 
happened  they  were  not  to  blame. 

The  boys  were  warm  and  comfortable  by  this 
time,  and  the  coxswain  had  greatly  reduced  the 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  55 

rapidity  of  the  stroke.  The  rowers  had  regained 
their  breath,  and  were  watching  the  anxious  face 
of  Dory  with  the  most  intense  interest.  There 
were  twenty-six  of  the  Chesterfields,  which  was 
double  their  own  number,  and  to  get  their  clothes 
by  force  did  not  look  like  a  hopeful  enterprise  to 
any  of  them.  But  the  Gildrocks  were  not  far 
oft',  and  their  assistance  could  be  had  for  the 
asking. 

"Now,  fellows,  we  must  overhaul  those  boats," 
said  Dory  in  his  usual  quiet  tone,  when  he  had 
decided  not  to  return  to  Beech  Hill  in  their  pres- 
ent uniform. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Dory  ?  "  asked  Ben 
Ludlow  curiously ;  and  the  same  question  was  on 
the  lips  of  every  member  of  the  crew. 

''  I  intend  to  do  whatever  it  may  be  necessary 
to  do.  We  are  going  after  our  clothes,  and  we 
must  get  them  the  best  way  we  can,"  replied  the 
coxswain. 

"But  suppose  they  won't  give  them  to  us?" 
suggested  Life  Windham. 

"The  clothes  belong  to  us,  and  we  have  urgent 
need  of  them  at  just  this  time.  If  they  won't 
give  them  to  us,  we  must  take  them,  if  we  can," 
answered  Dory. 


56  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

"  But  we  can't,"  added  Phil  Gawner. 

"  We  can't  tell  till  we  try." 

"Don't  you  think  we  had  better  call  on  the 
Gildrocks,  and  get  them  to  help  us?"  Ned 
Bellows  asked. 

"That's  the  idea!"  exclaimed  Lick  Milton. 
"Then  we  shall  have  as  many  fellows  as  they 
have." 

"Do  you  see  anything  of  the  Gildrock?" 
inquired  Dory  with  a  smile. 

"  I  don't  see  her,  hut  she  can't  be  far  off," 
answered  Lick,  as  all  the  crew  cast  their  eyes 
over  the  lake  astern  of  them. 

"  I  think  she  has  gone  into  Rock  Harbor,"  said 
Jim  Alburgh.  "The  Gildrocks  don't  want  to 
see  us  just  yet,  after  the  whipping  they  have  had." 

"  If  we  go  after  the  Gildrock  it  will  be  half  an 
hour  before  we  can  get  back  here  again.  Those 
fellows  will  hide  our  clothes  while  we  are  gone, 
and  I  am  not  in  favor  of  losing  sight  of  them  for 
a  moment,"  added  Dory. 

"  But  what 's  the  use  of  going  ahead  when  we 
can't  do  anything  if  we  come  up  with  them?"  said 
Ben  Ludlow. 

This  question  was  discussed  for  the  next  few 
minutes ;  and  it  was  plain  that  Ben  Ludlow  and 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  57 

several  others  had  "  no  stomach  for  the  fight " 
which  they  believed  would  grow  out  of  a  meeting 
with  the  Chesterfields.  If  there  was  going  to 
be  a  fight,  they  wanted  to  be  equal  in  numbers 
to  the  enemy ;  and  they  felt  that  the  older  and 
heavier  fellows  of  the  other  boat  would  make 
an  even  thing  of  it. 

For  this  reason  they  were  not  in  favor  of  fol- 
lowing up  the  Chesterfields  until  they  were 
reinforced  by  the  Gildrocks.  This  was  the 
view  of  several  of  the  crew,  but  the  majority, 
whatever  their  opinion,  were  entirely  willing 
to  leave  the  whole  matter  to  the  plucky  but 
prudent  coxswain.  He  had  always  brought  them 
out  of  all  difficulties,  and  they  were  more  disposed 
to  trust  him  than  to  depend  upon  themselves. 
They  were  vigorous  in  their  support  of  Dory, 
declared  that  they  would  obey  orders  whatever 
broke,  and  hoped  he  would  do  what  he  thought 
best. 

Those  who  were  anxious  to  follow  their  own 
views  were  compelled  to  yield  the  point,  and  they 
ceased  to  offer  any  further  resistance.  Ben 
Ludlow  and  the  others  who  had  been  so  desirous 
of  getting  even  with  the  Collegiates  were  not 
so  earnest  as  they  had  been.  They  were  ready  to 


58  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

"  call  names,"  and  throw  mud,  but  when  it  looked 
like  a  brush  of  another  kind,  their  backs  were  not 
so  stiff. 

"  Fellows,  you  have  behaved  first  rate  so  far, 
and  I  hope  you  will  do  so  to  the  end  of  this 
affair,"  said  Dory,  after  all  questions  had  been 
settled.  "  You  kept  still  when  I  asked  you  to  do 
so,  and,  whatever  happens,  we  shall  go  in  with 
clean  hands.  I  don't  know  how  we  can  settle  this 
matter  with  those  fellows,  but  I  want  you  to  be 
silent  and  let  me  do  all  the  talking  with  them." 

"All  right,  Dory :  propel,"  replied  Corny  Mink- 
field;  and  the  sentiment  was  promptly  indorsed 
by  all  the  others. 

The  coxswain  began  to  increase  the  speed  of  the 
Winooski,  which  had  already  gained  half  the  dis- 
tance between  the  boats.  In  a  few  minutes  she 
was  within  hail  of  the  enemy. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    COXSWAIN    OF    THE    WINOOSKI     INDULGES     IN 
MORE    STRATEGY. 

HHHE  Chesterfields  were  struggling  with  all 
their  might  at  their  oars.  They  appeared 
to  have  no  idea  of  the  speed  of  the  Winooski,  and 
evidently  entertained  the  idea  that  they  could  run 
away  from  her  when  they  exerted  themselves  to 
the  utmost.  But  Wash  Barker  and  Mad  Twinker, 
the  coxswains,  had  apparently  learned  one  thing  : 
and  this  was  that  their  crews  could  not  handle  the 
boats  so  well  in  rough  as  in  smooth  water. 

The  cove  where  they  had  stolen  the  clothes  of 
the  Beech  Hill  boys  was  at  the  narrowest  part  of 
the  lake,  where  it  was  not  more  than  a  mile  wide. 
Even  here  they  had  kept  under  the  lee  of  the 
shore,  and  had  been  in  very  little  troubled  water. 
Half  a  mile  below  the  cove  was  Northwest  Bay, 
where  the  lake  is  four  miles  wide.  The  Chester- 
field Collegiate  Institute  was  on  the  north  shore 
of  the  bay,  near  the  point  where  the  lake  begins 
to  contract  its  width. 

59 


60  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

There  was  silence  on  board  of  the  "VVinooski, 
though  the  young  gentlemen  in  the  two  barges 
were  yelling  as  much  as  they  could  while  exerting 
themselves  at  the  oars.  The  latter  were  in  great 
glee,  and  seemed  to  be  in  the  highest  enjoyment 
of  the  situation.  Dory  studied  the  movements  of 
the  two  boats,  and  soon  satisfied  himself  that  their 
coxswains  were  hugging  the  northwest  shore,  so  as 
to  avoid  the  heavy  sea,  which  prevailed  at  even 
less  than  half  a  mile  from  land.  Dory  decided  to 
block  this  game,  and  he  headed  the  Winooski  to 
the  windward  of  the  enemy. 

Such  a  contest  could  hardly  be  called  a  race,  for 
the  vastly  superior  pulling  of  the  crew  of  the 
Winooski  allowed  her  crew  to  have  it  all  their 
own  way.  Though  the  Chesterfields  did  not  yet 
understand  it  so,  the  Beech  Hill  boat  could  easily 
pull  around  them. 

"  Good,  fellows  !  You  are  pulling  first  rate," 
said  Dory,  when  the  boat  had  obtained  the  posi- 
tion in  which  the  coxswain  wished  to  place  her. 
"  We  are  abreast  and  exactly  to  windward  of  them 
now." 

"What  is  coming  next,  Dory?"  asked  Life 
Windham ;  and  all  the  crew  had  an  interest  in 
the  question. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  61 

"  I  don't  know  :  it  all  depends  upon  circum- 
stances," replied  Dory.  "  Now  pull  your  regular 
easy  stroke  ;  and  we  can  readily  beat  them  with 
that.  Things  will  come  to  a  head  very  soon." 

The  crew  took  the  easy  and  graceful  stroke 
indicated,  hut  this  produced  a  greater  speed  than 
the  Chesterfields  could  make  with  their  utmost 
exertion.  Dory  changed  the  course  of  the 
Winooski  as  she  went  ahead  of  the  Racer,  so 
that  she  would  gradually  approach  the  enemy. 

In  a  few  minutes  it  was  evident  that  the  Beech 
Hill  boat  would  be  in  the  water  of  the  other  boats, 
and  Wash  Barker  headed  his  craft  farther  to  the 
southward.  This  was  just  what  Dory  wanted  him 
to  do.  He  diminished  the  speed  of  the  Winooski 
still  more,  and  continued  to  crowd  into  the  water 
of  the  Dasher  until  the  latter  was  headed  to  the 
south,  or  out  into  the  rough  sea. 

Wash  Barker,  who  appeared  to  act  as  the  com- 
modore of  the  squadron,  —  Mad  Twinker,  in  the 
Racer  following  his  lead,  —  could  not  help  seeing 
the  result  of  these  mano2uvres,  whether  he  com- 
prehended their  purpose  or  not.  The  white-caps 
vveie  before  him,  and  he  knew  that  his  crew 
made  bad  work  in  the  waves.  Already  the 
Dasher  was  begining  to  pitch,  and  the  spray  to 


62  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

swash  in  over  her  stern.  But  it  looked  to  him 
just  then  as  though,  if  he  headed  for  the  shore, 
the  sharp  bow  of  the  Winooski  would  cut  his 
craft  into  two  pieces. 

Wash  tried  ssveral  times  to  get  out  of  the  scrape, 
but  the  Beech  Hill  boat  looked  like  a  streak  of 
lightning  to  him,  and  he  did  not  want  it  to  come 
any  nearer  to  him.  He  was  soon  compelled  to 
give  it  up  as  a  bad  job :  his  pursuer  would  allow 
him  to  go  only  to  the  southward.  But  Wash  had 
brains  if  he  didn't  know  much  about  handling  a 
boat.  The  force  of  the  waves  Avas  increasing 
every  length  he  went  in  the  present  direction. 

Dory  heard  him  shout  to  Mad  Twinker,  but  he 
could  not  understand  what  he  said.  A  moment 
later  the  Dasher  began  to  head  more  to  the  east- 
ward, the  Racer  taking  the  same  course.  The 
commodore  had  evidently  decided  to  get  about 
in  the  opposite  direction.  Dory  followed  him 
up  closely  till  the  two  barges  were  in  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  and  began  to  roll  instead  of  pitching 
as  before.  The  rowers  on  the  lee  side,  as  the 
boats  careened  in  that  direction,  had  their  looms 
thrown  out  of  the  rowlocks.  Some  of  them  went 
over  backwards,  and  some  of  them,  in  their  efforts 
to  save  themselves,  lost  their  oars  overboard. 


OR,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  63 

In  a  word,  the  crews  of  both  the  Chesterfield 
barges  were  in  a  fearful  snarl.  The  boats  con- 
tinued to  roll  in  tb.3  heavy  waves,  and  Dory 
thought  it  not  unlikely  that  his  crew  would  be 
called  upon  to  save  the  collegiate  gentlemen 
from  being  drowned.  Of  course  it  was  nothing 
but  clumsiness  which  had  reduced  them  to  this 
extremity. 

The  crew  of  the  Winooski  were  in  a  position  to 
see  all  that  occurred  to  the  unfortunate  barges ; 
for  Dory,  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  Wash  had  in- 
tended to  do,  had  come  about  in  the  opposite  way 
from  that  taken  by  the  other  barges.  When  his 
boat  was  headed  into  the  wind,  he  called  upon  the 
crew  to  lay  upon  their  oars. 

"  That 's  a  bad  egg  for  them,"  said  Life,  chuck- 
ling at  the  misfortune  of  the  enemy. 

"  There  are  three  of  their  oars  floating  off  into 
the  lake,"  Phil  Gawner  added. 

"  Don't  you  think  we  had  better  go  out  and  tow 
them  in,  Dory?"  laughed  Ned  Bellows. 

"Until  they  get  overboard,  we  will  continue  to 
mind  our  own  business  ;  but  if  they  need  help  we 
must  do  all  we  can  for  them,"  replied  the  coxswain. 
"  While  we  are  waiting  we  might  as  well  run  out 
and  pick  up  their  oars." 


64  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

The  orders  were  given  to  start  again,  and  the 
Winooski  dashed  out  into  the  heavy  waves. 
Dory  discovered  two  more  oars  which  had  been 
lost  by  the  Racer.  The  two  bowmen  weue  directed 
to  pick  them  up  when  they  came  to  them,  and  the 
five  were  quickly  secured.  They  were  stowed 
away  under  the  thwarts. 

By  this  time  the  Chesterfield  barges  were  in 
condition  to  make  another  effort  to  reach  the  shore, 
or  to  get  into  smooth  water.  Wash  Barker  was 
yelling  at  his  crew,  and  striving  to  bring  order 
out  of  confusion.  Mad  Twinker  was  doing  the 
same  in  the  Racer ;  though  neither  of  them  had 
any  brilliant  success.  But  at  last  they  got  the 
remnant  of  their  oars  into  the  water.  Then  it  was 
found  that  the  three  oars  had  all  been  lost  from 
the  starboard  side  of  the  Dasher,  and  Wash  pro- 
ceeded to  bring  about  an  equilibrium  in  his 
propelling  force. 

When  the  Winooski  had  picked  up  the  oars, 
Dory  took  her  to  a  position  between  the  barges 
and  the  shore.  He  did  not  regard  the  battle  as 
ended ;  in  fact  it  had  hardly  begun,  though  the 
coxswain  considered  his  tactics  a  success  thus  far. 
After  a  great  deal  of  loud  talk  on  the  part  of  the 
coxswains,  and  a  great  deal  of  "talking  back"  on 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  65 

the  part  of  the  crews,  the  Chesterfields  were  in 
condition  to  resume  their  effort  to  reach  the  shore. 

Just  as  soon  as  the  Dasher  began  to  move 
through  the  water,  Wash  found  the  sharp  bow  of 
the  Winooski  pointed  towards  his  boat.  He  was 
afraid  of  it,  and  he  allowed  himself  to  be  crowded 
off  his  course  precisely  as  he  had  before.  It  took 
but  a  few  minutes  to  put  his  boat  into  the  trough 
of  the  sea  again,  and  she  began  to  roll  in  a  manner 
very  trying  to  the  nerves  of  the  inexperienced 
boatmen. 

The  Chesterfields  held  on  to  their  oars  this  time, 
though  they  stopped  rowing.  But  they  did  not 
stop  rowing  by  order  of  the  coxswain.  In  fact 
there  was  a  mutiny  in  the  Dasher.  The  crew 
ceased  to  pull  of  their  own  accord,  and  proceeded 
to  pitch  into  the  coxswain  for  getting  them  into  a 
scrape  a  second  time.  But  Wash  was  a  gentleman 
of  energy  and  decision,  and  in  the  matter  of  "  jaw  " 
he  soon  overcame  his  refractory  crew,  and  got  his 
boat  headed  to  the  shore  again. 

By  this  time  he  comprehended  the  tactics  of  the 
Beech  Hill  boat,  and  realized  that  Dory's  purpose 
was  to  drive  him  into  the  rough  water.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  in  an  angry  frame  of  mind,  and  he  cast 
savage  glances  at  the  Winooski.  Dory  continued 


66  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

to  ply  his  strategy  of  crowding  the  Racer  off  her 
course.  But  her  coxswain  had  evidently  decided 
not  to  be  shoved  off  again,  though  it  looked  as 
though  the  Winooski  would  dash  into  her  bow 
the  next  instant. 

"Halloo,  Tinkers!"  shouted  Wash;  "If  you 
don't  keep  out  of  my  way  I  '11  run  into  you." 

Dory  made  no  reply  to  this  threat,  though  it 
was  uttered  in  a  very  savage  tone,  as  though  the 
speaker  meant  all  that  he  said.  The  Winooski 
continued  on  her  course  towards  the  Dasher,  her 
naked  crew  pulling  their  steady  stroke,  but  not 
one  of  them  looking  behind  him  to  see  when  the 
crash  was  coming. 

"  Oars  !  "  said  the  coxswain,  in  a  low  but  very 
decided  tone.  "Hold  water !  " 

At  the  first  command  the  oarsmen  poised  their 
blades  at  right  angles  with  the  gunwale ;  at  the 
second  they  dropped  them  into  the  water,  holding 
them  in  this  position  with  a  firm  grasp.  The 
effect  was  to  check  the  progress  of  the  boat.  But 
this  did  not  stop  the  boat,  as  the  coxswain  desired 
to  do. 

"  Stern  all !  "  he  added ;  and  the  crew  began  to 
pull  backwards. 

A  couple  of  strokes  were  all  that  were  necessary 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  67 

to  overcome  the  remaining  headway  of  the  barge, 
and  she  rested  in  the  position  Dory  had  chosen  for 
her.  Wash  Barker  was  evidently  very  nervous, 
though  he  saw  that  the  Winooski  had  come  to 

O 

a  standstill.  The  stem  of  the  latter  was  pointed 
at  her  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  but  she 
was  not  directly  in  the  course  of  the  Dasher. 
Wash  thought  he  had  space  enough  to  pass  to 
the  eastward  of  her,  and  perhaps  he  concluded 
that  his  threat  had  been  effective  in  stopping  his 
rival. 

"  Clap  on  that  head  bunter,  Thad  !  "  called  Dory 
to  the  bowman. 

The  article  indicated  was  a  kind  of  cushion 
covered  with  a  network  of  small  rope.  It  was 
used  when  the  boat  was  in  danger  of  striking  her 
stem  against  any  hard  substance,  as  in  boarding 
the  steamer,  or  making  a  landing  at  a  wharf. 
Thad  Glovering  put  the  bunter  in  position ;  and 
the  call  for  it  indicated  to  the  crew  that  there  was 
danger  of  a  collision. 

The  bunter  had  no  significance  to  Wash,  who 
believed  he  had  won  a  victory  in  bringing  his 
opponent  to  a  standstill.  He  kept  his  course,  and 
fully  expected  to  pass  clear  of  the  Winooski. 
Dory  watched  the  Dasher  with  the  utmost  care, 


68  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

and  it  was  plain  enough  that  he  intended  to  do 
something. 

"You  are  doing  first  rate,  fellows,"  s:iid  the 
coxswain,  with  his  gaze  fixed  upon  the  Dasher. 
"Now  is  the  time  to  remember  what  you  have 
promised,  and  I  want  you  to  keep  up  the  dis- 
cipline clear  to  the  handle." 

"  We  won't  slip  up  the  hundredth  part  of  an 
inch,  Dory,"  replied  Phil  Gawner.  "Propel !  " 

"  Ready  !  Give  way  !  "  called  Dory,  after  a 
pause  of  a  moment.  "  But  only  two  or  three 
strokes ! " 

The  crew  gave  a  few  vigorous  strokes  in  perfect 
time,  and  doubtless  Wash  wondered  what  was 
coming  next. 

"  Oars  !  "  said  the  coxswain,  sharply  "  Hold 
water ! " 

The  progress  of  the  barge  was  checked  when 
she  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  Racer.  Then  Dory 
ordered  his  crew  to  give  way  again.  The  stem  of 
the  Winooski  struck  the  bow  of  the  Chesterfield 
barge 


CHAPTER 

AN   UNSATISFACTORY  CONFERENCE    ON    THE   WAVES, 


was  no  crash  when  the  Winooski  struck 
the  Dasher,  and  Dory  had  intended  there 
should  he  none,  or  at  least  nothing  more  than  a 
smart  rap.  His  crew  anticipated  something  more 
than  followed  the  contact  of  the  two  boats. 

"  Hold  on,  you  Tinkers  !  "  yelled  Wash  Barker, 
rising  in  his  seat  in  the  stern-sheets  of  his  boat. 
"  You  are  running  into  us.  You  will  smash  our 
boat  all  to  pieces  !  " 

But  the  collision  did  not  realize  his  fears,  though 
his  conduct  caused  his  crew  to  cease  rowing.  The 
Dasher  was  a  couple  of  lengths  astern  of  the 
commodore's  barge,  and  the  instant  the  mighty 
official  yelled  they  all  stopped  pulling  and  looked 
behind  them.  The  Winooskis  felt  the  jar  of  the 
stroke,  but  not  one  of  them  turned  his  head,  as 
they  might  have  been  excused  for  doing. 

"  Give  way,  fellows  !  "  called  Dory,  in  an  ener- 
getic command,  to  the  astonishment  of  his  own 

69 


?U  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  , 

crew,  and  to  the  dismay  of  the  coxswain  of  the 
Dasher. 

But  the  crew  of  the  Winooski  obeyed  the  order, 
as  they  had  promised  to  do,  whatever  broke.  The 
command  was  given  at  the  instant  the  two  boats 
came  together.  The  headway  of  the  Dasher  was 
checked,  and  the  force  with  which  the  Beech  Hill 
boat  advanced  carried  her  head  around. 

"  Oars  !  "  "  Hold  water  !  "  "  Stern  all  !  "  were  the 
next  commands  of  the  coxswain  of  the  Winooski, 
after  he  had  set  the  Dasher  to  whirling  in  the 
waves. 

The  Chesterfield  boat  turned  half  around,  so 
that  she  faced  to  the  southward  again.  As  soon 
as  the  Winooski  had  drawn  back  from  her  oppo- 
nent, the  crew  lay  upon  their  oars,  the  coxswain 
waiting  for  the  issue  of  his  last  piece  of  strategy. 
He  was  evidently  ready  to  do  the  same  thing 
again,  and  Wash  Barker  began  to  look  discour- 
aged. His  crew  had  held  on  to  their  oars  when 
the  boat  was  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  but  they 
had  pulled  them  out  of  the  water,  or  were  trailing 
them  alongside.  At  any  rate  they  were  in  con- 
fusion, and  the  commodore  could  not  extricate 
them  from  the  dilemma. 

Dory  was  patient,  and  his  crew  were  in  the 


OS,   BUILDING   THE    HOLSE.  Vl 

highest  state  of  enjoyment  when  they  realized 
that  the  gentlemen  from  the  collegiate  institute 
were  completely  "  euchred."  After  a  great  deal 
of  loud  talking,  and  talking  back,  —  for  every 
rower  appeared  to  be  a  voluntary  coxswain,  the 
crew  of  the  Dasher  got  their  oars  into  position  in 
the  water.  They  were  ready  to  pull  again  ;  but 
the  commander  of  the  fleet  was  in  doubt  and  dis- 
may. He  was  headed  for  the  open  lake.  His 
boats  were  pitching  at  a  lively  rate  in  the  waves. 
He  could  not  go  ahead,  for  that  led  him  into 
the  dashing  sea.  He  could  not  come  about,  for 
the  Winooski  was  sure  to  give  him  another  whirl, 
and  might  smash  his  craft  the  next  time.  His 
crew  were  jawing  and  gesticulating  at  him  ;  one 
telling  him  to  do  this,  and  another  to  do  that. 
Dory  gave  his  crew  permission  to  witness  the 
scene  ;  and  they  could  not  help  realizing  the  ben- 
efit, not  to  say  the  blessing,  of  good  discipline. 
The  bow  of  the  Winooski  Avas  not  more  than  a 
length  from  the  stern  of  the  Dasher,  and  the 
bowman  of  the  Racer  had  fastened  his  boathook 
to  the  bow  of  her  consort.  The  dismay  of  Mad 
Twinker  in  the  other  boat  seemed  to  be  as  deep 
as  that  of  his  fellow  officer,  and  he  had  no  counsel 
to  give. 


72  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

There  was  a  multitude  of  counsellors  in  the 
Dasher.  Several  of  them  advised  the  coxswain 
to  run  into  the  Winooski,  nnd  about  all  that 
could  be  heard  in  the  snarl  wanted  to  smash  her. 
Wash  Barker  had  brains,  and  he  seemed  to  be 
aware  that  he  could  do  nothing  of  the  sort,  for 
the  reason  that  the  cool  coxswain  of  the  enemy 
would  not  let  him. 

"I  say,  Tinkers  !  "  shouted  Wash,  who  had  evi- 
dently concluded  what  to  do. 

Dory  was  as  dignified  as  George  Washington 
when  his  title  was  ignored,  and  he  refused  to  an- 
swer while  he  and  his  companions  were  called  by 
an  offensive  name.  Wash  hailed  several  times  in 
the  same  strain  without  getting  a  reply.  His 
crew  seemed  to  be  tired  of  yelling  at  him,  and 
there  was  a  silence  in  the  barge  after  the  coxswain 
had  called  a  dozen  times  to  his  opponent. 

"Winooski,  ahoy!"  shouted  some  one  in  the 
boat,  who  had  perhaps  learned  from  some  sea 
novel  how  to  hail  another  craft. 

"  On  board  the  Dasher  !  "  replied  Dory. 

"Are  you  all  deaf  there?"  demanded  Wash 
Barker  angrily,  when  he  discovered  that  his  oppo- 
nent had  the  power  of  speech  ;  "  I  have  been  yell- 
ing at  you  for  half  an  hour." 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  73 

"We  don't  answer  to  the  name  of  Tinkers, 
Greasers,  Chip-makers,  or  anything  of  that  sort," 
returned  the  coxswain  of  the  Winooski. 

"Oh,  you  don't!"  sneered  Wash,  when  Dory 
had,  with  a  couple  of  strokes  of  the  oars,  placed 
the  stern  of  the  barge  within  a  few  feet  of  that  of 
the  Racer. 

"We  do  not.  You  have  our  clothes  in  your 
boat,  and  I  will  trouble  you  to  return  them  to  us," 
added  Dory. 

"Don't  give  them  up  !"  yelled  a  fellow  in  the 
bow  of  the  Dasher. 

"  No,  no  !  "  shouted  half  a  dozen  others  ;  "  don't 
give  them  up  ! " 

This  looked  like  war,  and  things  had  a  stormy 
aspect  ahead.  But  Dory  decided  to  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  anyone  but  the  officer  of  the  boat. 

"  Hold  on  to  the  clothes  ! "  shouted  the  students 
in  the  Racer,  when  they  understood  what  was 
going  on. 

The  commodore  of  the  squadron  was  thus  fully 
informed  in  regard  to  the  state  of  feeling  in  both 
his  boats.  Whatever  his  own  view,  he  seemed  to 
be  unable  to  stand  up  against  his  companions. 

"  Our  clothes  were  taken  from  the  shore  while 
we  were  in  the  water,  and,  as  we  need  them  very 


74  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

much,  I  will  thank  you  to  return  them,"  continued 
Dory,  repeating  his  request  in  what  some  of  his 
crew  considered  a  very  "  gingerly  "  tone. 

"Don't  give  them  up!"  yelled  a  crowd  from 
both  boats. 

"You  can  hear  what  our  fellows  say  to  your 
request,"  replied  Wash  in  a  more  pliable  manner 
than  he  had  yet  assumed. 

"  I  speak  to  you  as  the  coxswain  in  charge  of 
the  boat,  and  I  am  waiting  for  your  reply,"  added 
Dory.  "The  clothes  belong  to  us,  and  I  think 
you  can  have  no  doubt  that  they  ought  to  be  re- 
turned to  the  owners." 

"Why  don't  you  talk  up  to  him,  Wash?" 
shouted  a  student  in  the  bow  of  the  Dasher. 

"  We  can't  all  talk  at  once,  and  you  fellows  keep 
up  such  a  jaw  that  I  can't  get  in  a  word  edge- 
ways," retorted  the  coxswain  of  the  Dasher  petu- 
lantly, for  he  evidently  felt  the  force  of  Dory's 
hint  that  he  ought  to  speak  for  his  crew.  "  If  I 
am  to  be  the  coxswain  of  the  boat,  I  don't  want 
every  fellow  to  interfere  Avith  me,  and  take  the 
words  out  of  my  mouth." 

"  You  have  got  us  into  scrapes  enough  for  one 
day,"  replied  a  rebellious  oarsman  in  the  middle 
of  the  boat. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  75 

"  You  want  to  crawl  out  like  a  lame  chicken  !  " 
exclaimed  another. 

"  I  was  elected  coxswain ;  but  you  won't  obey 
orders,  or  even  treat  me  decently,"  answered 
Wash.  "I  have  had  enough  of  it,  and  I  resign 
my  office,  to  take  effect  at  the  present  moment." 

"  You  might  as  well !  You  don't  know  anything 
more  about  a  boat  than  the  rest  of  us,"  added  one 
of  the  crew. 

"I  have  nothing  more  to  say,"  answered  Wash 
Barker,  with  some  show  of  dignity,  as  he  left  his 
seat  at  the  tiller  lines,  and  took  another  place. 
"Every  fellow  wants  to  be  coxswain  except  me, 
and  you  may  do  what  you  please  now/' 

Dory  began  to  feel  a  higher  degree  of  respect 
for  the  coxswain  of  the  Dasher,  and  so  did  the 
rest  of  the  crew  of  the  Winooski.  The  Beech 
Hill  boys  were  greatly  interested  in  the  dissensions 
among  their  opponents,  and  they  could  not  help 
contrasting  their  own  splendid  discipline  with  that 
of  the  Chesterfields. 

"Will  you  oblige  me  with  the  name  of  the  cox- 
swain of  the  other  boat? "asked  Dory,  addressing 
the  retired  officer  of  the  Dasher. 

"  His  name  is  Madison  Twinker,  but  we  all  call 
him  Mad,"  replied  Wash  Barker. 


76  SQUARE   AND  COMPASSES  ; 

"  What  did  you  tell  him  for,  Wash  ?  "  yelled  one 
of  the  gentlemanly  students  of  the  Chesterfield 
Collegiate  Institute. 

"I  know  how  to  answer  a  civil  question,"  re- 
plied the  late  coxswain,  as  he  settled  down  in  his 
seat,  and  turned  his  back  to  his  crew. 

Dory  directed  his  crew  to  pull  a  few  strokes 
and  thus  enable  him  to  secure  a  position  withii, 
talking  distance  of  the  coxswain  of  the  Racer.' 

Before  he  could  speak  to  Mad  Twinker,  th<> 
members  of  his  crew  began  to  shout  at  him,  telling 
him  not  to  give  up  the  clothes.  The  discipline  m 
this  boat  was  no  better  than  in  the  other.  Dory 
repeated  his  request  to  the  remaining  coxswain  of 
the  squadron. 

"  Don't  give  up  the  clothes  !  "  yelled  the  crew. 

' '  If  you  fellows  are  going  to  do  the  talking  I 
have  nothing  to  say,  and  I  shall  follow  the  example 
of  Wash  Barker,"  added  Mad  Twinker;  and  he 
plainly  sympathized  with  his  fellow  coxswain  who 
had  resigned. 

The  Chesterfields  did  not  like  this  answer,  and 
they  looked  at  one  another  with  something  like 
dismay  on  their  faces. 

"  Go  ahead,  Mad !  We  won't  say  another 
word,"  said  the  stroke  oarsman.  The  others 


OR,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  77 

made  no  promises,  but  for  the  time  they  were 
silent. 

"I  urn  waiting  for  your  answer,  Mr.  Twinker," 
said  Dory,  when  he  thought  it  was  time  for  the 
officer  of  the  Racer  to  speak. 

"Suppose  I  decline  to  return  them,"  replied 
Mad,  who  found  it  necessary  to  say  something, 
though  it  was  clear  that  he  had  not  decided  what 
to  say.  "What  then  r '' 

"  I  don't  care  to  consider  any  question  but  the 
return  of  the  clothes,"  replied  Dory. 

"Our  fellows  are  not  ready  to  return  your 
clothes,  after  the  insults  you  have  heaped  upon 
us,"  answered  Mad  Twinker;  and  this  answer 
was  followed  by  a  clapping  of  hands. 

"Am  I  to  understand  that  you  refuse  to  return 
our  property  ?  "  asked  Dory  gently  but  forcibly. 

"We  will  compromise  the  matter  if  you  like," 
suggested  Mad  Twinker,  who  did  not  like  the 
cool  manner  of  the  coxswain  of  the  Winooski. 
"If  you  will  apologize  for  the  insults  heaped  upon 
us,  we  will  return  the  garments  in  as  good  con- 
dition as  when  they  were  taken." 

"  I  am  not  aware  that  we  have  insulted  you  in  a 
single  instance,  to  say  nothing  of  heaping  insults 
upon  you,"  replied  Dory. 


78  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

"  We  spoke  to  you  twenty  times,  and  you  re- 
fused to  answer  us,  or  take  the  slightest  notice  of 
us,"  answered  Mad,  with  energy,  as  though  he 
believed  he  had  made  a  valid  charge ;  and  he  even 
got  up  a  little  indignation  to  go  with  it.  "We 
invited  you  to  race  with  us,  and  you  would  not 
deign  to  make  any  reply.  We  think  we  are  enti- 
tled to  a  civil  answer  when  we  ask  a  question." 

"  Certainly  you  are  when  you  ask  a  civil  ques- 
tion ;  but  every  time  you  spoke  to  us  you  ad- 
dressed us  as  '  Tinkers,' '  Greasers,' '  Chip-makers,' 
or  some  such  insulting  epithet.  When  we  were 
insulted  we  simply  maintained  silence,"  answered 
Dory. 

"Are  you  not  Tinkers,  Chip-makers,  and  Ma- 
chine-greasers ?  "  demanded  Mad  Twinker. 

"Whatever  we  are,  these  names  were  applied 
to  us  as  terms  of  reproach,  and  were  insulting." 

"We  don't  see  it." 

The  Chesterfields  clapped  their  hands  again,  as 
they  had  when  the  coxswain  proposed  the  com- 
promise. Just  then  the  Gildrock  was  discovered 
pulling  rapidly  towards  the  scene. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    CHESTERFIELDS    SURRENDER   THEIR   BANNERS. 

/COMMODORE  MAD  TWINKER  did  not  seem 
^-^  to  have  much  confidence  in  the  position  he 
hud  taken.  He  felt  that  he  hud  been  beaten  in 
the  argument,  but  in  the  face  of  his  crew  he  could 
not  abandon  the  ground  he  had  taken.  Of  course 
he  knew  that  the  Chesterfields  had  no  right  to 
retain  the  garments  they  had  brought  from  the 
shore ;  but  it  seemed  to  be  quite  impossible  to 
"  give  in  "  to  the  Beech  Hill  party,  and  acknowl- 
edge that  it  was  wrong  to  apply  epithets  to  them. 

"The  Gildrock  is  coming,  Dory,"  said  Life 
Windham,  in  a  low  tone,  for  the  coxswain  had  not 
observed  the  approach  of  his  consort. 

Dory  cast  a  glance  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  other  barge  was  coming.  She  had  apparently 
just  made  her  way  out  of  Sandy  Beach  Cove,  and 
the  crew  were  pulling  a  quick  stroke,  as  though 
they  thought  something  was  the  matter  with  the 
AVinooski.  The  plucky  coxswain  was  not  par- 

79 


80  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

tieularly  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  a  re-enforce- 
ment ;  for,  though  Matt  Randolph  was  a  splendid 
fellow,  he  feared  that  he  might  be  more  inclined 
to  fight  than  to  compromise. 

But  if  Dory  intended  to  recover  the  clothing  of 
his  crew,  the  present  situation  looked  more  like  a 
fight  than  a  compromise.  The  Chesterfields  re- 
fused to  admit  that  the  reproachful  epithets  were 
insulting,  and  demanded  an  apology  for  his  neglect 
to  answer  the  challenge  to  race  with  them.  The 
coxswain,  fearful  that. he  might  appear  to  be  too 
stiff,  went  over  the  matter  again. 

ft  When  we  came  near  you  we  gave  you  a  com- 
plimentary salute,"  added  Dory. 

"  A  complimentary  salute ! "  exclaimed  Mad 
Twinker.  "  W'hen  was  that,  and  what  was  it?" 

"  We  tossed  oars." 

"Tossed  oars?  Where  did  you  toss  them?" 
asked  the  commodore  ;  and  it  was  plain  enough 
now  that  the  Chesterfields  did  not  understand  the 
manoeuvre. 

"  We  raised  them  to  a  perpendicular ;  and  this 
is  the  highest  honor  one  boat  can  pay  to  another. 
We  should  not  have  tossed  oars  to  you  if  we 
had  intended  to  insult  you,"  replied  Dory  with 
spirit. 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  81 

"  Do  you  call  that  showing  off  a  complimentary 
salute  ?  "  demanded  Mad,  with  a  sneer.  "  It 's  no 
use  to  talk  any  more  about  it :  when  you  make 
the  apology,  for  insulting  us  we  will  give  up  the 
clothes." 

The  crews  of  both  the  Chesterfield  boats  ap- 
plauded. The  wind  appeared  to  be  freshening,  or 
it  had  driven  the  boats  farther  out  into  the  lake, 
where  they  felt  it  more.  At  any  rate  Mad's  last 
remark  indicated  a  desire  to  end  the  conference 
on  the  waves. 

"  I  hope  there  will  be  no  trouble,"  said  Dory, 
as  he  glanced  at  the  Gildrock  again,  though  she 
was  still  a  mile  from  the  scene. 

"There  will  be  no  talk  at  any  rate,"  replied 
Mad.  "  We  are  going  ashore  now,  and  we  will 
see  you  on  the  land  if  you  like." 

"  You  will  not  go  ashore  until  you  have  given 
up  those  clothes,"  added  Dory  firmly. 

"I'm  not  going  to  fool  with  you,  as  Wash  did, 
and  if  you  don't  get  out  of  our  way  we  will  sink 
you  !  "  exclaimed  the  new  commodore. 

"I  think  you  will  have  to  understand  a  little 
more  about  handling  a  boat  than  you  do  now,  be- 
fore you  can  do  that,"  replied  Dory  quietly,  as  he 
backed  the  Winooski  a  little  way  from  the  Racer. 


82  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

With  some  difficulty  Mud  got  his  boat  about  so 
that  it  was  headed  to  the  shore,  and  the  Dasher, 
with  Jeff  Monroe  acting  as  coxswain,  was  trying 

**        o 

to  follow  her  example.  The  waves  were  very 
rude,  and  it  looked  as  though  the  latter  would 
be  swamped  before  she  got  about.  A$  soon  as 
Dory  saw  that  the  Dasher  had  accomplished 
the  feat,  he  repeated  his  former  manoeuvre,  shov- 
ing the  bow  of  the  barge  entirely  around,  in  spite 
of  all  the  efforts  of  her  crew  to  prevent  it. 

Mad  T winker  ordered  his  oarsmen  to  beat  off 
the  assailants  with  their  oars  ;  but  the  moment  the 
boat  got  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  the  bow  oars- 
men were  utterly  unable  to  stand  up.  In  swinging 
around,  the  Winooski  brought  up  against  the  side 
of  the  Kacer,  and  two  of  the  latter's  oars  were 
snapped  in  twain  in  the  collision.  But  Dory  drew 
back  before  any  further  damage  was  done,  though 
the  Chesterfield  boat  had  only  seven  oars  left. 

By  this  time  the  Racer  had  nearly  come  about, 
and  Dory  gave  her  a  shove  which  sent  her  back 
to  her  former  position  in  the  trough  of  the  sea. 
Mad  Twinker  was  downright  mad  in  fact,  as  well 
as  in  name,  when  he  found  himself  beaten.  But 
the  Winooski  kept  out  of  his  reach,  and  he  was 
utterly  powerless.  Her  coxswain  did  not  have 


OR,  BUILDING  THE   HOUSE.  83 

the  least  difficulty  in  swinging  her  around  as  he 
wished,  in  the  smart  sea. 

The  wind  was  blowing  the  boats  farther  out  into 
the  lake  every  moment,  and  the  white-caps  had  a 
terrific  aspect  to  the  inexperienced  boatmen.  Mad 
brought  his  barge  about  again.  Placing  one  of 
his  oarless  crew  at  the  tiller  lines,  he  crawled 
forward  himself,  and  took  a  position  in  the  bow. 
Arming  himself  with  the  boathook  he  directed  his 
rowers  to  give  way. 

This  time  Dory  did  not  wait  till  the  Racer  was 
headed  to  the  shore,  but  darted  upon  her  just  as 
she  carne  out  of  the  trough  of  the  sea.  He  called 
to  Thad  Glovering  to  boat  his  oar,  and  look  out 
for  his  head,  for  Mad  evidently  intended  to  hit 
anyone  who  came  within  reach  of  his  weapon. 

"  Oars  ! "  shouted  Dory  with  energy.  "  Stern 
all!" 

But  in  spite  of  his  care  he  struck  the  Racer 
harder  than  he  intended,  and  a  lively  snapping  of 
cedar  boards  was  heard.  The  sound  created  a 
panic  among  the  crew ;  they  all  stopped  rowing, 
and  looked  behind  them  to  see  what  had  happened. 
About  three  feet  of  the  bow  of  the  boat  was  stove 
in,  and  the  water  was  pouring  in  through  the 
break. 


84  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"There!  Do  you  see  what  you  have  done?" 
yelled  Mad  Twinker,  appalled  at  the  disaster  to 
the  Dasher. 

"Will  you  give  up  those  clothes,  or  will  you 
take  another  rap?  "  called  Dory  sharply. 

"  Another  rap  !  Do  you  mean  to  drown  us  all  ?  " 
cried  Mad. 

"  I  mean  to  have  our  clothes  !  "  answered  Dory. 

"  Let  them  have  the  clothes  !  "  yelled  one  of  the 
terrified  crew. 

"  Let  them  have  them  !  We  can't  do  anything 
more,"  added  another. 

Mad  said  nothing  more,  but  he  picked  up  si  ch 
of  the  clothes  as  were  within  his  reach,  and  held 
them  out  in  the  direction  of  the  Winooski.  His 
crew  followed  his  example,  and  Dory  ran  the  barge 
near  enough  to  receive  them. 

"  That 's  all  there  are  in  this  boat,"  said  Mad 
Twinker. 

"If  you  all  move  a  little  farther  aft,  the  water 
won't  run  into  your  boat,"  said  Dory  in  a  quiet 
tone.  "Here  are  five  oars  that  belong  to  your 
boats.  I  have  no  further  business  with  you  to-day, 
unless  we  find  some  of  our  clothes  are  missing ; 
and  we  wish  you  good  evening." 

"We  shall  have  further  business  with  you,  and 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  85 

you  won't  see  the  end  of  this  affair  for  one  while," 
growled  Mad  Twinker,  as  he  crawled  to  the  stern- 
sheets  of  his  barge. 

While  this  scene  was  transpiring,  the  Dasher  had 
succeeded  in  getting  about,  and  her  crew  were 
pulling  for  the  shore,  though  they  lay  upon  their 
oars  when  they  saw  the  catastrophe  to  her  consort. 
Dory  followed  the  other  barge  without  any  delay, 
and  was  soon  in  position  to  "  ram  "  the  bow,  as  he 
had  that  of  the  Racer ;  but  the  Dashers  decided 
not  to  be  wrecked,  as  their  consort  had  been.  Jeff 
Monroe  shouted  that  they  would  give  up  the 
clothes  and  they  were  delivered.  The  Winooski 
went  to  the  shore,  and  the  crew  clothed  them- 
selves. None  of  the  clothes  were  missing,  and 
the  coxswain  was  glad  he  had  no  further  demand 
to  make  upon  the  Chesterfields.  Before  the  boys 
were  half  clothed  the  Gildrock  joined  them. 

"  What  in  the  world  have  you  fellows  been 
about?"  asked  Matt  Randolph.  "We  thought 
you  were  in  a  row  out  there  with  the  Chesterfields, 
and  we  were  hurrying  up  to  help  you  out." 

"  We  were  in  a  row,  and  we  have  smashed  in 
the  bow  of  one  of  their  boats,"  replied  Dory. 
"Our  fellows  have  behaved  first-rate,  and  I  think 
we  have  come  out  of  the  scrape  with  clean  hands." 


86  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"Not  if  you  have  smashed  one  of  their  boats," 
added  Matt  seriously. 

"  Captain  Gildrock  must  settle  that  question ; 
and  I  suppose  Colonel  Buckmill  will  have  some- 
thing to  say  about  it,"  answered  Dory,  as  he 
proceeded  to  relate  in  detail  what  had  happened 
at  Sandy  Beach. 

The  event  was  discussed  with  no  little  excite- 
ment for  a  considerable  time.  Beech  Hill  was 
very  indignant  at  the  conduct  of  the  Chesterfields, 
and  heartily  delighted  that  the}'  had  been  beaten 
in  the  end.  But  all  felt,  as  Mad  Twinker  had 
suggested,  that  they  had  not  seen  the  end  of  the 
affair  yet,  and  it  was  voted  that  a  state  of  war 
existed  between  the  two  institutions  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  lake ;  and  perhaps  it  was  a  happy 
circumstance  that  four  miles  of  fresh  water  lay 
between  them. 

"  I  say,  Dory,  I  don't  quite  understand  how  it 
was  that  you  beat  us  so  awfully  in  that  little  scrub 
race  we  had,"  said  the  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock. 
"I  was  sure  we  could  whip  you  every  time  when 
we  came  out  of  the  river." 

ff  I  knew  that  you  had  been  giving  your  crew  a 
little  private  training,"  replied  Dory,  laughing,  as 
they  walked  down  to  the  barges.  "  I  know  just 


OR,   BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  87 

why  you  were  beaten  ;  and  I  think  you  had  better 
wait  till  you  get  out  of  the  woods  before  you  do 
any  crowing  next  time.  The  three  cheers  you 
gave  were  rather  cutting  to  our  fellows." 

w  I  was  confident  we  could  pass  you  every  time  ; 
and  your  crew  were  taking  it  very  easy.  We  gave 
the  cheers  to  stir  you  up,  and  give  us  a  chance  to 
beat  you  when  you  were  doing  your  best,"  Matt 
explained.  "  But  how  did  you  give  us  such  an 
awful  waxing?" 

"  Simply  by  minding  our  own  business  :  that 's 
all  I  know  about  it.  Our  fellows  row  first-rate, 
and  they  are  in  splendid  discipline.  Your  crew 
got  demoralized  when  they  saw  us  gaining  on 
them,  and  they  couldn't  do  anything  more.  It 
was  as  easy  to  beat  them  then  as  it  is  to  go  to 
sleep  when  you  can't  keep  awake." 

Matt  did  not  understand  the  cause  of  his  defeat 
much  better  than  before.  He  said  he  had  been 
training  his  crew,  and  trying  to  find  out  what  the 
matter  was. 

The  barges  returned  to  Beech  Hill,  and  after 
they  were  secured,  there  was  nothing  talked  about 
but  the  encounter  with  the  Chesterfields.  As  in 
duty  bound,  Dory  reported  the  affair,  with  full 
details,  to  the  principal. 


88  SQUARE    AND   COMPAFSES. 

"  I  am  afraid  this  is  rather  serious  business, 
Dory?"  said  Captain  Gildrock.  "It  looks  like 
a  standing  quarrel  between  our  school  and  the 
Institute,  and  it  may  lead  to  disagreeable  con- 
sequences. Of  course  the  students  on  the  other 
side  will  have  their  own  story  to  tell,  and  probably 
I  shall  hear  from  Colonel  Buckmill,  who  will  claim 
damages  for  the  injury  done  the  barge." 

"  We  had  to  recover  our  clothes,  or  come  home 
without  our  shirts,"  pleaded  Dory. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  have  told  the  story  cor- 
rectly as  you  understand  it,  but  almost  always 
there  are  two  sides  to  any  story.  You  appear  to 
have  acted  with  prudence  and  forbearance,  and  I 
have  no  fault  to  find  with  you,"  added  Captain 
Gildrock.  "We  will  wait  and  see  what  comes  of 
the  affair." 

It  may  as  well  be  said  here  that  nothing  came 
of  it,  and  Colonel  Buckmill  was  not  informed  in 
regard  to  the  collision.  The  Racer  was  rowed  to 
Westport  that  evening,  and  the  next  morning  she 
had  been  repaired,  and  was  in  as  good  condition 
as  ever.  But  the  Chesterfields  nursed  their  wrath, 
and  vowed  vengeance  for  the  humiliation  to  which 
they  had  been  subjected. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   REBELLION    IN    THE    SCHOOLROOM. 

A  I'TER  breakfast  on  the  following  morning 
the  students  were  provided  with  the  new 
uniform,  if  so  simple  a  suit  could  be  dignified  by 
such  a  title.  It  consisted  of  a  sack,  pants,  and 
vest  of  blue  flannel,  and  a  cap  on  which  was  a 
monogram  of  the  letters  B.  H.  I.  S.  The  buttons 
on  the  coat  and  cap  were  plain  and  nickel-plated, 
as  was  the  monogram.  It  was  a  very  neat  dress, 
and  most  of  the  boys  were  pleased  with  it. 

"Where  is  your  uniform,  Life?"  asked  Dory  of 
the  stroke  oarsman  of  the  Winooski,  as  they  were 
about  to  enter  the  school  and  shop  building. 

"I  don't  intend  to  wear  any  uniform,"  replied 
Life  Windham.  "  I  am  not  a  monkey,  a  soldier, 
or  a  policeman." 

"As  the  rest  of  us  are  neither  soldiers  nor  po- 
licemen, I  suppose  you  regard  us  as  monkeys," 
added  Dory,  laughing. 

"I  don't  say  that  you  are  monkeys,  only  that 
you  are  dressed  like  monkeys,"  replied  Life. 

80 


90  SQUAKE    AND   COMPASSES  : 

"I  thhik  you  are  making  a  mistake,  and  I  hope 
you  will  consider  well  what  you  are  about,"  con- 
tinued Dory  seriously.  "  My  uncle  pays  for  the 
clothes  of  all  the  students,  and  it  seems  to  me  he 
ought  to  be  allowed  to  say  what  the  garments 
should  be." 

"If  Captain  Gildrock  wanted  you  to  go  about 
town  with  a  chapeau  on  your  head,  should  you  be 
willing  to  do  it?"  demanded  Life,  with  consid- 
erable vim  in  his  tones. 

"  But  he  don't  ask  you  to  wear  a  chapeau,  or 
even  a  soldier's  cap.  You  argue  against  some- 
thing that  is  ridiculous,  instead  of  the  actual 
thing,"  returned  Dory  warmly.  "  It  is  a  common 
cap,  just  such  a  one  as  you  wore  when  you  came 
to  Beech  Hill,  only  there  are  four  letters  on  it." 

"  It  is  a  uniform,  any  way,  and  wre  are  all  to  be 
punished  because  two  fellows  drank  beer  in  a 
saloon,"  persisted  Life. 

"  There  is  no  punishment  about  it." 

"Didn't  Captain  Gildrock  say  we  were  to  wear 
a  uniform  because  two  of  the  fellows  drank  beer  ?  " 
demanded  Life. 

"  No,  he  did  not !  "  protested  Dory.  "  He  said 
he  did  not  believe  the  fellows  would  have  drank  the 
beer  if  they  had  worn  the  uniform  of  the  school." 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  91 

"Why  not?  Because  they  would  be  afraid  of 
being  found  out?"  sneered  Life. 

"  Not  at  all.  Did  n't  he  say  that  he  expected 
the  fellows  to  have  a  proper  regard  for  the  honor 
and  credit  of  the  school?  He  thinks  that  respect 
for  the  institution  would  prevent  the  fellows  from 
doing  anything  out  of  the  way.  The  uniform 
would  keep  the  fact  that  they  are  members  con- 
stantly in  their  minds.  In  Boston  all  the  pupils 
of  the  high  schools  wear  a  uniform  cap." 

"I  don't  see  it  in  that  light,  and  I  look  upon 
wearing  a  uniform  as  a  punishment,  served  out  to 
the  innocent  as  well  as  the  guilty." 

"  If  I  were  you  I  should  go  and  put  the  uniform 
on,  and  then  carry  my  grievance  to  the  principal," 
added  Dory,  sorry  that  the  stroke  oarsman  of  the 
boat  should  get  himself  into  trouble  for  nothing 
at  all. 

"We  argued  the  matter  yesterday  I  am  not 
the  only  fellow  who  won't  wear  the  uniform. 
There  are  eight  of  us,  and  we  had  a  meeting  this 
morning,"  replied  Life,  "  and  not  one  of  them  will 
put  on  monkey  rigging." 

"  You  are  making  a  bad  mistake,  Life.  Not  a 
word  was  said  yesterday  about  punishment,  and  I 
am  sure  my  uncle  will  set  matters  right  if  you 


92  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

only  obey  orders.  If  you  stand  out,  he  won't  say 
a  word  to  comfort  you.  Put  on  the  uniform,  go 
to  him  this  morning,  and  say  that  you  object  to 
wearing  it,  for  you  look  upon  it  as  a  punishment, 
served  out  to  the  innocent  as  well  as  the  guilty," 
reasoned  Dory. 

"~\Ve  said  all  we  had  to  say  yesterday,"  replied 
Life ;  and  he  joined  several  others  not  in  uniform 
as  they  went  into  the  building.  . 

In  the  schoolroom  Dory  had  a  chance  to  see 
who  the  rebels  were,  for  all  the  others  wore  the 
uniform,  while  the  objectors  had  on  the  garments 
in  which  they  had  come  to  the  school.  There 
were  four  from  the  first  class,  and  four  from  the 
second.  Besides  Life  Windham,  of  his  own  crew, 
he  found  Phil  Gawner,  Lick  Milton,  and  Tom 
Ridley.  He  was  sorry  he  had  not  known  who  the 
rebels  were  before,  for  he  thought  he  could  have 
influenced  them  in  the  right  direction.  Ben  Lud- 
low,  who  had  had  the  most  to  say  against  the 
uniform  the  day  before,  wore  the  prescribed  cos- 
tume. 

Eight  out  of  twenty-six  were  nearly  one  third 
of  the  whole  school.  He  wished  he  could  have  a 
chance  to  talk  the  subject  over  with  the  other 
rebels  in  his  crew  before  they  were  called  to  order 


OK,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  93 

in  the  schoolroom,  for  Captain  Gildrock  was  a 
thorough  disciplinarian.  He  would  yield  a  great 
deal  to  respectful  remonstrance,  but  not  a  hair  to 
rebellion.  If  the  eight  rebels  took  'a  decided 
stand,  the  principal  would  regard  it  as  a  case  of 
disobedience,  and  treat  it  accordingly. 

But  there  was  no  time  to  argue  the  matter,  and 
hardly  a  word  had  been  said  about  it  among  the 
crews  of  the  barges.  The  rebels  had  preferred  to 
confine  their  discussion  to  their  own  number,  in- 
stead of  getting  the  views  and  feelings  of  the 
other  members  of  the  school. 

Every  pupil  had  a  single  desk  in  the  school- 
room, which  contained  his  books  and  other  prop- 
erty. Each  one  took  his  place,  and  the  roll  was 
called  by  Miss  Fatinia  Mill  weed,  who  was  the 
clerk  of  the  institution.  All  answered  to  their 
names.  Most  of  those  who  wore  the  uniform  did 
not  seem  to  know  that  there  was  a  rebellion  in 
progress,  and  they  looked  with  some  astonishment 
at  their  companions  in  plain  clothes. 

The  principal  had  not  yet  come  in,  and  as  he 
had  announced  other  business  for  the  opening  of 
the  session,  the  instructors  waited  for  him.  But 
the  captain  was  a  methodical  and  punctual  man, 
and  the  roll-call  was  hardly  finished  before  he 


94  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

made  his  appearance  upon  the  platform.  He  hud 
H  roll  of  papers  in  his  hand,  and  seemed  to  be 
thinking  of  the  business  of  the  moment.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  unroll  his  papers,  without  bestowing 
any  attention  upon  the  new  uniform,  for  he  had 
noticed  and  commented  upon  it  before  school  time. 

"  Now,  boys,  I  have  something  to  say  about  the 
plans  for  the  new  boat-house  and  hall  for  recrea- 
tion," the  principal  began,  as  he  took  his  place  at 
the  desk  on  the  platform.  "The  idea  does  not 
include  merely  the  building,  but  a  wharf  for  the 
Sylph,  docks  for  the  barges,  and  the  location  and 
general  arrangement  of  the  building  and  grounds. 
For  the  best  plan  of  the  building  the  prize  will  be 
fifty  dollars.  The  same  amount  will  be  given  for  the 
best  location  and  method  of  constructing  the  wharf 
and  arranging  the  grounds  of  the  new  structure." 

"Architecture  and  civil  engineering,"  suggested 
Bolingbroke  Millweed,  deeply  interested  in  the 
business  of  the  occasion. 

"  Precisely  so,  only  we  shall  not  meddle  much 
with  ornamental  architecture,"  replied  Captain 
Gildrock,  looking  over  the  pupils  to  observe  the 
impression  the  announcement  of  the  prize  made 
upon  them. 

Then  he  suddenly  suspended  his  remarks,  and 


OR,  BUILDIN6    THE    HOUSE.  95 

stepped  out  to  the  side  of  the  desk.  For  a 
moment  he  looked  the  boys  over,  as  though  his 
thoughts  had  taken  a  new  turn.  He  left  his 
papers  on  the  desk,  as  though  he  had  abandoned 
the  subject  of  the  building. 

"  I  think  I  directed  that  the  new  uniform  should 
be  put  on  this  morning,"  said  the  principal,  after 
a  considerable  pause.  "I  see  that  most  of  you 
wear  it,  and  I  suppose  the  others  could  not  tind 
suits  that  would  fit  them.  Mr.  Sheers  was  to  be 
here  to  assist  in  fitting  you.  Wasn't  he  here, 
Shoreham?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  he  was  here,  and  he  selected  a  uni- 
form that  he  said  would  fit  me,"  replied  Lew. 

"  But  you  have  not  put  it  on  ?  " 

"No,  sir." 

"  I  see  there  are  several  others  who  have  not 
put  on  the  uniform,"  continued  the  principal ;  and 
he  proceeded  to  call  the  names  of  those  in  plain 
clothes.  "  If  any  one  of  you  did  not  find  a  uni- 
form that  would  fit  him,  he  will  signify  it." 

No  one  raised  a  hand  or  spoke  a  word,  and  it 
was  evident  that  there  was  no  trouble  at  all  about 
(Stting  the  garments. 

"  Shoreham,  why  have  you  not  put  on  your  uni- 
form?" demanded  the  principal,  rather  sternly. 


96  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES; 

"I  have  decided  not  to  wear  a  uniform,"  replied 
Lew,  in  an  entirely  respectful  tone. 

"  You  have  decided  not  to  wear  a  uniform," 
repeated  Captain  Gildrock.  "  Cornwall,  I  see 
that  you  are  in  plain  clothes." 

"1  have  also  decided  not  to  wear  a  uniform," 
answered  Bart. 

"  There  appears  to  be  several  of  you  who  made 
the  same  decision,"  added  Captain  Gildrock. 

"  Eight  of  us,  sir,"  said  Bob  Swanton. 

"I  wish  to  say,  Captain  Gildrock,  that  we  do 
so  with  entire  respect  to  you,  sir,"  added  Lew 
Shoreham. 

"With  entire  respect  to  me,  you  intend  to  dis- 
obey my  orders,"  said  the  principal,  with  a  smile. 

"  We  have  agreed  that  not  a  disrespectful  word 
shall  be  spoken  to  you,  sir,"  continued  Lew,  W7ho 
had  apparently  been  appointed  the  spokesman  for 
the  rebellion. 

"  In  other  words,  you  intend  to  do  wrong  in  a 
gentlemanly  way,  which  is  perhaps  better  than 
doing  it  in  an  ungentlemanly  way,"  added  the 
principal. 

"  I  desire  to  give  the  reasons  why  we  decline  to 
wear  a  uniform,"  said  Lew  Shoreham,  rising  from 
his  chair  as  though  he  intended  to  make  a  speech 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  97 

of  some  length  ;  and  perhaps  he  could  do  it  better 
than  any  other  student  in  the  school. 

"I  decline  to  hear  the  reasons — I  respectfully 
decline.  After  I  have  given  an  order  I  don't 
argue  the  matter,"  replied  Captain  Gildrock. 

"  But  we  wish  —  " 

"  While  you  stand  in  the  attitude  of  disobe- 
dience, you  must  excuse  me  from  listening  to 
what  you  wish,  Shoreham.  Those  who  have  de- 
cided not  to  wear  the  uniform  of  the  Beech  Hill 
Industrial  School  may  stand." 

The  eight  rebels  rose  from  their  seats,  and  stood 
by  the  side  of  their  desks.  They  held  their  heads 
up  as  though  they  meant  to  be  manly  and  inde- 
pendent, and  no  doubt  they  felt  so. 

"  I  don't  think  you  are  quite  fair,  Captain  Gild- 
rock,  not  to  hear  what  —  " 

"You  are  entitled  to  your  own  opinion.  The 
eight  boys  who  have  decided  not  to  wear  the  uni- 
form will  go  to  their  rooms,  and  each  remain  in 
his  own  apartment  until  further  orders,"  continued 
Captain  Gildrock,  in  a  very  mild  but  decidedly 
firm  tone. 

"I  wish  to  say  —  "  Lew  Shoreham  began. 

"  You  will  say  nothing ! "  interposed  the  prin- 
cipal, in  a  very  stern  voice.  "Go  to  your  rooms, 


98  v  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

and  stay  in  them  till  you  have  permission  to  leave 
them." 

Lew  Shoreham  was  extremely  anxious  to  argue 
the  question,  and  to  do  so  before  the  school. 
Physically  he  was  rather  clumsy,  and  was  not 
likely  to  distinguish  himself  in  athletic  sports; 
but  he  was  a  good  speaker  for  a  boy,  and  a  bit  of 
a  lawyer  besides.  Doubtless  he  and  his  com- 
panions thought  they  were  grossly  abused  in  not 
being  allowed  to  argue  the  question  of  obedience. 
The  rebels  retired  from  the  schoolroom,  and  the 
principal  picked  up  his  papers. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IMPORTANT    TO    BOY    ARCHITECTS    AND   ENGINEERS. 


principal  said  a  few  words  to  Mr.  Dar- 
lingby,  one  of  the  instructors,  as  soon  as  all 
the  rebels  had  left  the  schoolroom.  The  teacher 
followed  the  eight  boys  who  had  decided  not  to 
wear  a  uniform  to  the  dormitory.  He  said 
nothing,  but  merely  saw  that  the  rebels  went  to 
their  rooms,  as  they  had  been  directed.  He  then 
called  Bates,  the  old  sailor  who  had  been  quarter- 
master and  mate  under  Captain  Gildrock  for  many 
years,  who  did  any  kind  of  duty  at  Beech  Hill 
required  of  him,  from  running  the  steamer  down 
to  blacking  the  principal's  boots. 

The  old  seaman  always  obeyed  orders,  and  never 
asked  any  questions  or  made  any  speeches.  Mr. 
Darlingby  stationed  him  in  the  hall  of  the  dor- 
mitory, and  directed  him  not  allow  any  of  the 
eight  boys  to  leave  the  building,  or  more  than  one 
of  them  to  come  out  of  his  room  at  a  time.  Bates 
knew  what  discipline  was,  for  he  had  been  thor- 


100  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

oughly  trained  by  his  employer.  The  instructor 
returned  to  the  schoolroom,  and  reported  the 
orders  executed. 

After  the  rebels  had  departed  from  the  room, 
Captain  Gildrock  made  no  allusion  whatever  to 
them.  He  pointed  no  moral  for  the  benefit  of  the 
rest  of  the  students,  and  did  not  seem  to  be  in 
the  least  degree  disturbed  by  the  event  of  the 
morning.  He  picked  up  his  papers,  and  went  on 
with  his  announcements  as  though  nothing  had 
occurred  to  interrupt  them. 

"  You  have  had  valuable  instruction  in  drawing 
from  Mr.  Jepson,"  continued  Captain  Gildrock ; 
"  but  you  have  not  yet  had  a  great  deal  of  practice. 
Of  course  I  don't  expect  finished  drawings  from 
you,  and  the  nicety  of  the  work  will  not  affect  the 
result.  All  the  plans  must  be  drawn  by  scale, 
and  must  be  intelligible,  but  the  prizes  are  to  be 
given  for  the  ideas,  and  not  for  the  artistic  finish 
of  the  plans." 

"  On  what  scale  must  the  plans  be  drawn  ? " 
asked  Luke  Bennington. 

"  Mr.  Jepson  must  answer  that  question." 

"  A  quarter  of  an  inch  to  the  foot,"  added  Mr. 
Jepson,  the  master  machinst  and  instructor  in 
drawing. 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOL'SK.  101 

"  Do  you  all  understand  what  rooms  and  closets 
we  want  in  the  boat-house  ?  That  is  what  the  new 
building  will  be  called,"  continued  the  principal. 
"  I  think  you  had  better  make  a  list  of  these 
things,  so  that  you  won't  forget  anything." 

"  Are  the  sailboats  to  be  provided  for  in  the 
building?"  asked  George  Duane. 

"  Certainly  not ;  it  would  take  too  high  a  build- 
ing to  cover  the  topmast  of  the  Gold  wing," 
replied  the  principal.  "  The  safest  place  for  the 
sailboats  is  at  their  moorings  in  the  lake." 

"  I  don't  quite  understand  how  the  two  barges 
are  to  be  accommodated  under  cover,"  suggested 
Harry  Franklin. 

"  There  must  be  two  slips,  or  docks  for  them, 
at  least  fifty-four  feet  long  by  eight  or  nine  feet 
wide,  with  doors  at  the  water  end  of  them,  so  that 
the  boats  can  be  locked  in.  I  shall  say  no  more 
about  the  docks ;  but  you  can  put  them  down  at 
the  head  of  your  list.  Then  we  want  about  forty 
dressing-rooms,  for  we  must  provide  for  the  future 
as  well  as  the  present.  They  must  be  at  least 
three  feet  square  and  light  enough  to  enable  the 
occupant  to  see  what  he  is  about." 

"  But  where  are  these  dressing-rooms  to  be 
located?"  inquired  Dave  Winslow. 


L02  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

"  You  must  answer  that  question  for  yourselves ; 
and  of  course  the  value  of  the  plan  will  depend 
upon  the  convenience  and  fitness  of  the  apart- 
ments. Add  dressing-rooms  to  the  list.  Then 
we  want  as  many  as  four  store-rooms,  one  for 
a  sail-room,  one  for  a  paint-shop,  and  two  for 
boat  furniture." 

"  What  must  be  the  size  of  these  rooms  ?  "  asked 
John  Brattle. 

"  You  know  what  these  rooms  are  for,  and  you 
may  determine  the  size  of  them  for  yourselves," 
replied  Captain  Gildrock.  "I  desire  to  measure 
each  student's  judgment  in  the  decision  of  just 
such  questions  as  this,  and  I  shall  leave  a  great 
many  of  them  open  for  this  purpose." 

The  boys  looked  at  each  other,  and  thought  that 
whoever  got  the  prizes  would  earn  them,  for  it 
would  take  no  end  of  hard  thinking  to  make 
the  plans. 

"  The  next  requirement  is  the  hall  for  meetings, 
which  will  be  on  the  second  story,"  continued  the 
principal,  as  the  students  added  the  apartment  to 
their  list.  "  The  size  and  proportions  will  be  left 
to  your  own  judgment ,  but  I  will  add  that  you 
may  want  to  use  this  hall  in  the  winter  for  ex- 
hibitions of  declamation,  dialogues,  and  concerts, 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  103 

to  which  the  people  of  Genverres  may  be  invited. 
I  give  you  the  uses  to  which  the  hall  may  be  put, 
and  it  is  for  you  to  determine  how  large  it  should 
be." 

"  Are  we  to  make  it  big  enough  to  accommodate 
the  whole  town  ?  "  inquired  Corny  Minkfield. 

"  You  must  judge  for  yourself  how  many 
people  the  hall  ought  to  hold ;  for  I  have  no 
clearer  idea  of  the  matter  than  you  have,  and 
I  have  no  plan  for  the  winter  entertainments," 
answered  Captain  Gildrock.  "  If  there  are  any 
exhibitions  at  all,  they  will  be  given  at  your  request, 
and  not  at  my  desire." 

"Are  we  to  decide  now  whether  we  will  have 
exhibitions  or  not?"  Steve  Baxter  wanted  to 
know. 

rt  You  are  to  decide  for  yourselves  whether  or 
not  a  large  hall  is  likely  to  be  needed.  I  have 
nothing  more  to  say  on  this  subject.  I  have  now 
given  you  the  essential  points  in  the  new  building. 
In  the  matter  of  halls,  corridors,  entrances,  I  shall 
say  nothing.  You  need  not  confine  yourselves  to 
the  essentials  I  have  mentioned.  If  you  can  add 
any  apartments  that  are  worth  having,  you  are 
at  liberty  to  do  so,  and  the  value  of  any  such 
additions  or  improvements  will  be  carried  to  your 


104  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

credit  on  the  total  fitness  of  the  plan.  I  hold  the 
comfort  and  recreation  of  the  pupils  of  the  school 
to  be  entitled  to  consideration  as  well  as  usefulness 
in  the  narrower  sense.  I  have  said  all  I  have  to 
say  in  regard  to  the  boat-house,  and  after  this 
I  shall  answer  no  questions." 

"Are  the  dressing-rooms  to  be  on  the  lower 
story  or  the  upper?"  inquired  Matt  Randolph. 

"They  will  be  just  where  you  choose  to  put 
them,"  answered  the  principal.  "That  is  a 
question  of  convenience  which  each  must  decide 
for  himself." 

"But  we  have  the  two  docks  for  the  boats,  the 
forty  dressing-rooms,  the  four  store-rooms,  and 
the  corridors  and  entries  to  put  on  the  lower 
storj',  with  nothing  but  the  hall  on  the  second 
floor,"  persisted  Matt. 

"  I  did  not  stipulate  that  any  of  the  apartments 
you  mention  should  be  on  the  lower  floor,"  said 
the  principal,  laughing.  "If  you  think  it  best  to 
put  the  two  docks  for  the  barges  on  the  second 
floor,  of  course  you  have  a  perfect  right  to  do 
so." 

"  A  boat  is  a  good  thing  to  have,  but  it  is  n't 
particularly  valuable  on  the  top  of  a  mountain  for 
sailing  purposes,  and  I  should  rather  have  it 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  105 

where  there  is  a  body  of  water,"  persisted  Matt. 
''  The  docks  will  take  up  about  fifteen  hundred 
square  feet,  and  that  is  space  enough  for  a  hall 
that  will  hold  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two 
hundred  people.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  parts 
don't  balance  well." 

"  It  is  for  you  to  balance  them,  then.  I  have 
given  you  the  essentials  of  the  boat-house,  and 
I  leave  all  the  rest  of  it  to  you,"  replied  Captain 
Gildrock.  "  If  you  please,  Randolph,  we  will  not 
argue  the  matter,  for  you  are  giving  your  as- 
sociates points  that  I  wish  them  to  study,  out 
for  themselves.  Now  we  will  consider  the  lo- 
cation and  the  engineering  work." 

"  I  don't  see  why  these  are  put  together,"  said 
Oscar  Chester. 

"  Because  they  are  very  closely  connected," 
answered  Captain  Gildrock.  "If  one  of  you 
decides  that  the  boat-house  ought  to  be  built 
in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  he  ought  to  tell  us  how 
the  foundation  is  to  be  laid,  and  how  we  are 
to  reach  it." 

"  I  see ;  and  I  understand  it  now,"  added 
Oscar. 

"  The  location  of  the  building,  and  of  the  wharf 
for  the  steamer  or  other  craft  we  may  have, 


106  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

are  included  in  the  offer.  The  same  student  may 
compete  for  both  prizes,  and  plan  both  the  build- 
ing and  the  location.  If  you  locate  the  wharf 
where  it  cannot  be  conveniently  reached  by  the 
Sylph  or  the  Goldwing,  the  site  selected  would 
have  to  be  rejected." 

"  But  perhaps  the  plan  of  the  fellow  who  wins 
the  prize  for  the  boat-house  may  not  fit  the 
location  that  gets  the  prize,"  suggested  Oscar 
Chester,  who  seemed  to  be  taking  the  deepest 
interest  in  the  subject,  though  he  had  been  the 
hardest  boy  in  the  whole  before  his  admission 
to  the  school. 

rf  I  have  considered  that  difficulty,  and  the  two 
plans  which  are  the  best  on  the  wrhole  will  be 
modified  to  adapt  them  to  each  other.  Now,  we 
will  see  the  map,  Mr.  Jepson,"  said  the  principal. 
The  instructor  in  drawing  unrolled  a  chart  on  the 
wall  behind  the  principal,  and  it  proved  to  be 
Beech  Hill  Lake,  drawn  after  the  manner  of  the 
chart  of  Lake  -Champlain,  with  the  compass, 
soundings,  and  character  of  the  bottom  upon  it. 

"  This  chart  will  be  available  for  the  inspection 
of  all  the  students.  It  shows  Beech  Hill  Lake, 
Avhich  is  about  eighty  rods  long  by  fort}'  wide.  It 
is  simply  an  enlargement  or  basin  of  Meadow 


OR,   BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  107 

Creek.  I  own  the  land  on  both  sides  of  it  down 
to  Lake  Champlain,  and  therefore  we  can  do  what 
we  please  with  it,  even  if  we  fill  it  up.  When 
you  locate  the  wharf  you  must  indicate  how 
it  is  to  be  built,  and  how  it  is  to  be  reached  both 
on  the  land  and  the  water  side." 

"I  suppose  there  is  only  one  way  to  build 
a  wharf,  and  that  is  by  driving  piles,"  said  Harry 
Franklin. 

"  The  wharf  may  be  of  wood  or  of  stone.  If  you 
look  at  the  chart,  Franklin,  you  will  see  that  the 
bottom  on  this  side  of  the  lake  is  composed  of 
rocks,  into  which  no  piles  can  be  driven.  Our 
present  wharf  was  built  like  a  log  house,  by  piling 
logs  one  upon  another,  and  filling  in  with  earth. 
But  the  timbers  are  rotting,  and  it  will  soon  need 
to  be  rebuilt,  and  I  don't  care  to  have  another  of 
that  kind.  On  the  other  side  of  the  lake  the 
bottom  is  mud,  brought  in  by  the  creek.  That  is 
all  we  need  say  about  the  wharf  and  location." 

But  half  a  dozen  of  the  boys  who  had  ideas  on 
the  subject  before  the  school  proceeded  to  ask 
questions,  which  the  principal  declined  to  answer. 

"  The  season  is  advancing,  and  I  wish  to  have 
this  building  up  and  covered  in  before  the  cold 
weather  comes,  and  we  want  these  plans  at  once," 


108  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

continued  the  principal,  after  he  had  quieted  the 
inquirers.  "  After  consultation  with  the  instruc- 
tors, I  have  decided  to  give  you  three  days 
vacation,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  prizes  -will 
be  awarded.  These  three  days  are  given  you  to 
study  the  subject  and  draw  the  plans." 

"  That  is  a  short  time,"  said  Matt  Randolph. 

"  But  it  is  just  as  much  for  one  as  for  another. 
You  must  do  the  best  you  can  in  that  time.  Fifty 
dollars  is  a  considerable  sum  for  a  boy  to  have ; 
and  I  must  say  now  that  the  winner  will  not 
be  allowed  to  fool  it  away.  If  they  have  no  im- 
mediate use  for  it,  the  money  will  bo  placed  to 
their  credit  in  the  Genverres  Savings  Bank ;  but  it 
may  be  used  at  once  for  any  proper  purpose." 

The  students  wondered,  as  they  left  the  school- 
room, if  the  vacation  had  not  been  given  on  acount 
of  the  rebellion.  But  all  of  them  hastened  to  the 
lake  to  look  for  a  site  for  the  boat-house. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DORY  DORNWOOD  CONFRONTS  THE  TOPOVERS. 

O  EVERAL  groups  of  the  students  had  formed 
on  the  banks  of  Beech  Hill  Lake,  and  were 
discussing  the  plans  when  the  school-bell  rang. 
They  obeyed  the  summons,  and  began  to  think 
this  was  a  queer  sort  of  a  vacation,  when  the 
principal  informed  them  that  he  had  forgotten 
something.  Seeing  them  talking  together  at  the 
lake  had  reminded  him  of  the  omission. 

"  I  must  exact  a,  promise  from  each  student  that 
the  plan  he  offers  is  wholly  his  own  work,"  said 
Captain  Gild  rock.  "  There  must  be  no  conversa- 
tion, conference,  or  comparison  among  you,  and  no 
student  must  show  his  plan  to  another,  or  tell 
another  what  it  is.  All  of  you  who  assent  to  this, 
and  make  this  promise,  will  signify  it  by  standing." 

All  the  boys  rose  and  remained  standing.  Some 
of  them  asked  a  lot  of  questions  as  usual,  but  in 
a  few  minutes  the  whole  matter  was  perfectly 
understood. 

109 


110  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

"  Under  these  conditions  we  shall  have  to  slay 
in  our  rooms  all  the  time,"  said  Dave  Windsor ; 
and  the  remark  created  a  laugh,  for  it  looked  as 
though  the  competitors  for  the  prizes  were  to  be 
prisoners  as  well  as  the  rebels. 

"You  can  do  your  work  where  you  please. 
The  schoolroom,  the  workshop,  the  grove,  are  open 
to  you,  as  well  as  your  rooms,"  replied  the  prin- 
cipal. "  I  consider  that  each  pupil  is  put  on  honor 
not  to  look  at  the  work  of  another.  Before  the 
prizes  are  awarded  I  shall  ask  each  one  if  the- 
plan  is  wholly  his  own  idea,  and  I  shall  be  willing 
to  take  his  word  for  it." 

"Then  everything  must  be  original,  must  it?" 
asked  Bolly  Millweed.  "If  we  have  seen  an 
arrangement  of  doors  or  windows  we  like  in  a 
hotel  or  church,  we  must  not  use  it." 

"Not  at  all,"  answered  Captain  Gildrock,  a 
little  impatiently.  "  If  you  have  ideas,  they  be- 
long to  you  though  you  did  not  originate  them. 
I  simply  insist  that  you  shall  not  use  one  another's 
ideas.  I  don't  expect  you  to  originate  many  if 
any  new  ideas  in  architecture  and  engineering ; 
only  to  combine  old  ones  for  the  particular  struc- 
ture we  have  in  view.  I  only  ask  you  to  do 
what  any  old  farmer  would  do  if  he  wanted  to  put 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  Ill 

up  a  set  of  farm  buildings ;  and  he  would  not  go 
near  an  architect  or  civil  engineer,  though  it  might 
pay  him  to  do  so." 

"  I  understand  it  now,"  said  Dave. 

"  I  hope  you  all  understand  it ;  but  if  there  are 
any  questions  to  be  asked  it  must  be  done  now, 
for  not  one  will  be  considered  after  I  dismiss  you 
this  time.  You  may  use  any  of  the  boats  on 
Beech  Hill  Lake  during  the  next  three  days 
without  further  permission." 

The  boys  were  ashamed  to  ask  any  more  ques- 
tions, and  they  left  the  schoolroom.  They  were 
not  to  talk  together  about  the  plans,  and  they 
separated  outside  the  door,  each  to  make  his 
examination  of  the  shores  of  the  little  lake  by 
himself.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  scattered  all 
along  the  border  of  the  lake  and  creek,  each  one 
carefully  avoiding  all  the  others ;  for,  under  the 
skilful  training  of  Captain  Gildrock,  each  one  had 
come  to  regard  his  honor  as  the  apple  of  his  eye. 

Of  course  there  were  some  of  the  boys  who  had 
no  more  idea  of  the  making  of  a  plan  or  the  fitness 
of  a  locality  for  the  boat-house  than  they  had  of 
the  erection  of  a  Chinese  pagoda  ;  and  the  principal 
hardly  expected  that  more  than  half  a  dozen  plans 
of  the  building  and  as  many  of  the  location  would 


112  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

be  submitted.  But  he  knew  that  the  study  given 
by  the  pupils  to  the  subject  would  be  worth  more 
than  the  prize  to  them. 

It  was  rather  amusing  to  see  some  of  them 
making  so  serious  a  matter  of  the  plans,  but  pro- 
bably every  one  of  them  thought  he  could  select 
the  best  location  for  the  wharf  and  boat-house,  even 
if  he  could  not  make  a  mark  towards  the  plan  of 
the  structure.  Many  of  them  seated  themselves 
under  the  trees  in  view  of  the  lake,  with  paper 
and  pencil  in  hand,  as  though  they  had  begun  to 
make  the  rough  sketches  of  the  plan. 

By  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  it  was  clear  that 
some  of  the  students  had  got  their  ideas  in  work- 
ing order,  for  they  went  to  the  schoolroom,  and 
began  to  make  sketches  on  brown  paper.  But 
others  were  not  satisfied  with  the  limited  survey 
they  had  made  of  the  lake,  and  wished  to  visit 
the  other  side.  Though  the  creek  Avas  narrow, 
there  was  no  bridge  on  the  Beech  Hill  grounds, 
and  it  was  too  wide  to  be  leaped  over.  Mat  Ran- 
dolph proposed  that  they  should  go  over  in  the 
barges.  All  hands  were  called,  and  they  assented 
to  the  plan. 

When  they  were  seated  in  the  boats,  with  only 
nine  oarsmen  in  each,  it  was  decided  to  make  a 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  113 

trip  around  the  lake,  in  order  to  examine  the  shore 
from  the  water  side.  At  the  head  of  the  lake,  in 
the  rear  of  the  shop  and  schoolroom,  was  a  rocky 
hill  rising  to  the  height  of  about  a  hundred  feet  in 
the  loftiest  place.  The  rocks  rose  perpendicularly 
from  the  lake,  and  the  water  was  four  feet  deep 
alongside  of  them. 

Bolingbroke  Millweed  was  earnest  and  critical 
in  his  survey  of  these  rocks,  though  hardly  another 
of  the  party  paid  any  attention  to  them.  Probably 
most  of  them  thought  it  was  the  most  unsuitable 
place  on  the  lake  for  the  boat-house  and  wharf, 
though  it  was  nearer  to  the  mansion  and  school- 
room than  the  present  wharf,  where  the  barges 
were  moored. 

The  two  boats  pulled  with  a  gentle  stroke 
around  the  lake,  stopping  at  several  points  for  a 
more  careful  survey.  If  any  one  had  any  brilliant 
ideas  he  was  as  silent  as  Beech  Hill  itself,  at  the 
head  of  the  lake.  This  was  the  name  of  the 
elevation  in  the  rear  of  the  schoolroom,  and  the 
estate,  the  lake,  and  the  institution  had  been  called 
after  it. 

Beech  Hill  Lake  extended  north  and  south 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Porter's  Bay,  an 
inlet  of  Lake  Champlain.  Between  the  little  lake 


114  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  J 

and  the  bay  there  was  a  beautiful  grove,  which 
was  one  of  the  most  delightful  resorts  on  the 
shipmaster's  estate.  He  had  intended  to  build  a 
bridge  across  the  creek,  back  of  Beech  Hill ;  but 
an  attempt  had  been  made  to  rob  his  house  by  a 
couple  of  New  York  burglars,  who  had  landed  at 
the  head  of  the  bay,  and  crossed  the  lake  in  a  boat 
which  had  formerly  been  kept  on  the  other  side. 

The  idea  of  constructing  a  bridge  had  been 
given  up  after  this  attempt,  but  a  small  pier  had 
been  built  near  the  inlet  of  the  creek,  for  conve- 
nience in  landing  from  boats  at  the  grove.  The 
barges  went  to  this  little  wharf,  and  the  crews 
landed,  and  separated,  each  to  pursue  his  studies 
by  himself.  All  of  them  made  .a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  west  shore  of  the  lake. 

When  he  had  finished  his  survey,  Dory  Dorn- 
wood  seated  himself  under  a  tree  not  far  from  the 
pier.  He  did  not  seem  to  think  he  had  any  talent 
for  architecture  or  civil  engineering,  and  he  had 
not  a  very  strong  hope  of  winning  either  of  the 
prizes.  The  fact  that  he  was  the  founder's  nephew 
would  not  affect  the  matter  in  any  way,  for  each 
competitor  was  to  put  only  a  word  or  character 
on  his  work,  which  was  also  to  be  written  on  an 
envelope  containing  his  name.  The  examiners, 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  115 

wnoever  tney  were,  were  not  to  Know  wnose  plan 
they  were  considering. 

While  Dory  was  contemplating  the  shores  of 
the  lake,  and  making  up  his  mind  in  regard  to  the 
best  place  for  the  wharf,  he  heard  voices  in  the 
direction  of  the  pier.  Looking  that  way,  he  saw 
a  squad  of  boys  on  the  little  wharf.  Their  atten- 
tion was  fixed  upon  the  two  barges,  which  they 
were  examining  with  interest,  not  to  say  enthu- 
siasm. 

Genverres  had  its  proportion  of  bad  .boys  as 
well  as  good  ones,  and  Dory  recognized  these 
visitors  to  the  grove  as  belonging  to  the  former 
class.  He  had  not  been  in  the  town  long  enough 
to  have  any  acquaintance  with  them,  and  hardly 
knew  them  by  sight ;  but  his  uncle  had  pointed 
out  a  couple  of  them  whom  he  suspected  of  steal- 
ing fruit  from  his  garden.  In  fact  he  had  suffered 
so  much  from  the  depredations  of  fruit-thieves, 
that  he  had  taken  extensive  and  expensive  precau- 
tions to  keep  them  out  of  his  grounds. 

The  captain  had  built  a  fence  ten  feet  high  from 
the  main  road  to  the  creek  ;  the  latter  being  consi- 
dered a  sufficient  barrier  on  the  west  side  of  the 
estate.  The  grove  could  easily  be  reached,  but 
the  grounds  on  the  east  side  of  Beech  Hill  Lake 


116  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

were  now  well  protected.  Dory  saw  that  the 
leading  spirit  of  the  squad  of  visitors  was  Tom 
Topover,  a  reckless  young  rascal  of  sixteen  or 
seventeen,  who  had  made  himself  a  terror  to  the 
farmers  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  as  well  as  to 
many  peaceable  citizens  in  the  village. 

The  presence  of  the  "Topovers,"  as  they  had 
come  to  be  called,  after  their  leader,  boded  no 
good  to  the  boats,  for  the  squad  were  free-and- 
easy  fellows,  who  had  no  more  regard  for  the 
rights  of  property  than  they  had  for  the  cleanliness 
of  their  faces  and  their  garments.  Dory  Dornwood 
knew  how  easy  it  was  to  get  up  a  quarrel  with 
this  class  of  young  ruffians,  and  he  did  not  think 
it  was  wise  to  go  near  them  ;  but  he  thought  it  was 
best  to  show  himself,  so  that  they  might  not  be 
tempted  to  meddle  with  the  barges  by  the  supposi- 
tion that  they  were  not  seen.  He  began  to  walk 
about  where  he  could  not  fail  to  be  observed  by 
the  visitors. 

Dory  looked  all  around  him  through  the  grove, 
but  he  could  see  only  a  few  of  the  other  students. 
Doubtless  they  were  all  absorbed  in  the  study  of 
the  plan  and  location,  for  not  a  sound  could  be 
heard  except  the  dashing  of  the  water  against  the 
rocks  in  the  creek  above  the  lake. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  117 

He  and  Matt  Randolph  had  each  a  boatswain's 
whistle,  used  in  calling  the  boats'  crews  when  they 
were  separated,  as  in  the  present  instance.  Its 
shrill  pipe  could  be  heard  at  least  half  a  mile  in 
a  still  day ;  but  the  coxswain  of  the  Winooski 
hoped  he  should  have  no  occasion  to  use  it.  The 
Topovers  had  seen  him,  and  probably  some  of  the 
other  students,  and  must  know  that  the  crews  of 
both  boats  were  in  the  grove,  or  the  barges  would 
not  be  at  the  wharf. 

He  watched  the  visitors  very  closely,  but  they 
manifested  no  disposition,  so  far,  to  meddle  with  the 
boats.  They  were  looking  at  them,  and  made 
them  the  subject  of  a  great  deal  of  animated  con- 
versation. Dory  could  not  blame  them  for  being 
delighted  with  the  barges,  and  the  fact  they  were 
pleased  was  an  evidence  that  they  had  some  good 
taste.  But  presently  he  saw  four  of  them  walking 
towards  him.  They  came  in  a  direct  line,  and  the 
coxswain  had  no  doubt  they  had  something  to  say 
to  him.  One  of  them  was  Tom  Topover ;  another 
was  Kidd  Digfield ;  the  two  whom  the  captain  had 
indicated  as  the  plunderers  of  his  garden.  He  did 
not  know  the  names  of  the  other  two. 

"Hullo,    Dory!"   called  Tom  Topover,   when 


118  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

the  party  came  within  hailing  distance  of  him, 
"  Them's  tip-top  boats  you  've  got  down  there." 

"  They  are  very  fine  boats,"  replied  Dory. 

"I  s'pose  you  fellers  have  big  times  in  'em." 
continued  Tom,  as  he  and  his  companions  halted  in 
front  of  the  coxswain. 

"  We  have  first-rate  times  in  them,"  answered 
Dory,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  for  he  was  very 
careful  that  there  should  be  nothing  exasperating 
in  his  conduct ,  and  he  had  learned  that  one's 
manner  of  saying  anything  could  be  very  provok- 
ing, even  when  nothing  offensive  was  uttered. 

"  You  ain't  usin'  them  boats  now :  won't  you 
let  me  and  the  fellers  take  a  little  turn  in  'em  on 
the  pond?"  Tom  Toppver  proceeded  with  as 
much  assurance  as  though  he  was  making  only 
a  reasonable  request,  as  he  evidently  believed  it 
was. 

Dory  felt  that  he  had  no  more  right  to  lend  one 
of  the  boats  than  he  had  to  loan  one  of  his  uncle's 
shirts  ;  and  he  saw  the  beginning  of  trouble  in  the 
request. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TOM    TOPOVER    HAS     REASON     TO    BE     ASTONISHED. 


TOPOVER  was  a  stout  and  wiry  fellow, 
and  he  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
greatest  fighting  character  in  Genverres.  He 
made  a  quarrel  whenever  he  could,  and  he  had 
proved  a  handful  to  several  men  who  had  been 
called  upon  to  tackle  him  in  some  of  his  maraud- 
ing exploits.  With  this  reputation  he  was  afraid, 
of  no  one  though  a  village  policeman  declared 
that  there  was  more  bully  than  fight  in  him. 

Dory  Dornwood  wondered  that  Tom  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  ask  permission  to  use  the  boats  ;  but 
as  he  had  done  so,  and  done  it  in  a  respectful 
manner,  it  was  his  duty  to  answer  him  ;  and  the 
circumstances  made  it  a  very  disagreeable  duty. 
The  coxswain  was  not  a  "  bruiser,"  and  he  had  no 
taste  for  pugilism,  though,  if  attacked  or  assaulted, 
he  was  a  very  vigorous  opponent. 

"Those  boats  belong  to  Captain  Gildrock," 
replied  Dory  to  the  request  of  the  Topover. 

"  I  know  that,  but  you  fellers  takes  care  on  'em, 

119 


120  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES  ; 

and  we  only  want  to  use  'em  a  few  minutes  while 
you  ain't  in  'em,"  continued  Tom,  in  a  very 
pliable  manner  for  him.  "  We  won't  hurt  'em  a 
mite,  and  we  '11  fetch  'em  back  jest  as  soon  as  you 
fellers  want  'em  ! " 

"  The  boats  don't  belong  to  me,  and  I  have  no 
right  to  lend  them,"  added  Dory,  with  a  pleasant 
smile  to  soften  his  refusal. 

"  The  cap'n  won't  say  nothin'  if  you  just  let  us 
take  one  of  the  boats  for  a  few  minutes,"  pleaded 
Tom.  "  You  need  n't  tell  him,  and  he  won't  knov. 
nothin'  about  it." 

"  I  have  no  right  to  lend  the  boat,  and  I  can't 
do  it,"  persisted  Dory,  who  had  no  confidence  in 
the  statements  or  the  promises  of  the  Topover. 

"What's  the  reason  you  can't?"  demanded 
Tom,  with  a  little  more  vigor  in  his  tones. 

"  I  have  told  you  the  reason :  the  boats  don't 
belong  to  me.  What  would  you  say  if  I  should 
lend  your  hat  to  some  fellow  without  your  permis- 
sion?" 

"  I  should  n't  say  a  word  ;  just  as  lief  you'd  do 
it  as  not,"  promptly  returned  the  applicant.  "  I 
ain't  stingy  with  what  belongs  to  me.  If  them 
boats  was  mine,  I  'd  let  you  have  'em  all  day  when 
I  wa'n't  usin'  'em." 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  121 

Tom  Topover  made  this  display  of  liberality  in 
u  tone  of  triumph,  and  he  appeared  to  think  it 
ought  to  settle  the  question  at  once.  He  looked 
as  complacent  and  self-satisfied  as  though  he  had 
actually  loaned  the  coxswain  half  a  dozen  barges 
every  day  for  a  week. 

"I  have  ten  dollars  belonging  to  my  uncle 
which  he  gave  me  to  pay  a  bill  in  Burlington  when 
I  go  there  to-morrow,"  said  Dory,  amused  but  not 
convinced  by  the  unselfish  offer  of  Tom.  "  Do 
you  think  it  would  be  right  for  me  to  lend  that 
money  ?  " 

"  Right?  Of  course  it  would,  if  any  good  fel- 
ler like  me  wanted  to  borry  it.  Lend  it  to 
me,  and  I  will  pay  it  back  next  week  when  a  man 
gives  me  twenty  dollars  he  owes  me,"  answered 
Tom  glibly. 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  be  right,  and  I  can't  lend 
the  money  or  the  boats  because  they  don't  belong 
to  me.  You  must  go  to  Captain  Gildrock  if  you 
want  to  borrow  the  boats,"  replied  Dory,  finding 
it  was  useless  to  argue  the  point  with  one  who  had 
no  respect  for  the  rights  of  property. 

"  You  '11  let  us  take  one  of  the  boats,  won't  you  ? 
I  hain't  got  no  time  to  go'n  find  Captain  Gild- 
rock,"  continued  Tom. 


122  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"  I  will  not  lot  you  take  one  of  the  bouts,"  3uid 
Dory  very  decidedly.  "  I  have  told  you  I  could 
not." 

"  All  right !  The  boats  don't  belong  to  you, 
and  't  ain't  none  of  your  business,"  chuckled  Tom. 
"  We  '11  take  a  little  turn  in  the  furder  boat,  and 
I  '11  see  the  cap'n  arter  we  come  back,  and  make  it 
all  right  with  him." 

This  seemed  to  be  a  satisfactory  arrangement  to 
Tom  Topover,  and  he  started  for  the  wharf,  fol- 
lowed by  his  companions,  with  the  evident  pur- 
pose of  carrying  out  his  idea  at  once. 

"  The  boats  don't  belong  to  me,  but,  as  you  said, 
we  have  the  care  of  them,  and  we  can't  let  any 
one  take  them  without  Captain  Gildrock's  permis- 
sion." 

"  What  are  you  go'n  to  do  about  it?  "  demanded 
Tom,  halting,  and  then  retracing  his  steps  to  the 
spot  where  the  coxswain  stood.  "  You  don't 
reckon  I  keer  for  you,  do  you?" 

"I  don't  want  to  make  any  words  about  it, 
and  I  have  said  all  I  have  to  say,"  replied 
Dory,  and  he  still  maintained  his  quiet  demeanor, 
though  things  began  to  look  like  an  immediate 
battle. 

"  I  don't  want  no  words  nuther.      I  'm  go'n  to 


OR,   BUILDING    THE   HOUSE.  123 

take  one  of  them  boats,  and  I  want  to  know  what 
you  are  go'n  to  do  about  it,"  blustered  Tom 

"  I  don't  want  to  do  anything ;  but  the  boats 
are  in  the  care  of  our  fellows,  and  we  are  respon- 
sible for  them.  If  you  meddle  with  them,  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  call  the  crews,  who  are  here  in  the 
grove,"  replied  the  coxswain. 

"  Call  the  crews,  will  you?  "  said  Tom,  clench- 
ing his  fists  and  siding  up  towards  Dory. 

"  There 's  two  or  three  fellers  comm'  down 
here,"  interposed  Kidd  Digfield. 

"You  V  Nim  Splugger  look  out  for  'em,  and 
I  '11  polish  off*  this  chap,"  replied  Tom,  as  he 
glanced  into  the  grove,  where  he  saw  Matt  Ran- 
dolph and  Oscar  Chester  approaching.  "  Them 
boats  don't  belong  to  you,  and  't  ain't  none  of  your 
business  who  takes  'em.  I'll  bet  you  don't  call 
no  crews  nuther,"  continued  Tom,  assuming  a 
decidedly  belligerent  attitude. 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,"  returned  Dory, 
bracing  himself  up  in  readiness  to  meet  whatever 
miffht  come. 

"  All  right  if  you  hain't ;  and  I  hain't  got  much 
more  to  say ;  only  if  you  try  to  call  them  crews, 
you  '11  wish  you  'd  been  born  deef  and  dumb," 
added  Tom,  savagely,  and  enforcing  his  threat 


124  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

with  a  flourish  of  his  dirty  fists.  "  Come  back, 
Kid,  and  be  in  a  hurry,"  he  shouted  to  his  com- 
panions he  had  sent  to  look  out  for  Matt  and 
Oscar,  who  were  still  too  far  off  to  see  what  was 
transpiring  near  the  wharf. 

Tom  Topover  started  at  a  smart  run  for  the 
wharf,  closely  followed  by  his  three  companions. 
He  had  evidently  changed  his  tactics  all  of  a  sud- 
den, and  concluded  not  to  fight  any  battle.  The 
haste  displayed  indicated  that  they  were  hurrying 
to  get  into  the  boats  before  any  of  the  crew  could 
arrive  Dory  comprehended  the  situation  at  once, 
and  blew  a  long  pipe  on  the  boatswain's  whistle, 
which  woke  the  echoes  of  the  quiet  grove. 

"  Git  into  them  boats  ! "  shouted  Tom  Topover, 
to  the  companions  he  had  left  at  the  whjirf. 
"  Untie  'em,  and  pick  up  the  oars  !  " 

The  Topover  intended  to  get  possession  of  the 
boats  while  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  and  not  lose 
any  time  in  thrashing  Dory,  which  he  regarded  as 
an  easy  matter,  a  mere  form.  He  had  called  his 
crew  with  the  whistle,  and  Matt,  as  soon  as  he 
heard  it,  had  blown  his  own  pipe.  He  and  Oscar 
had  by  this  time  got  an  idea  that  something  was 
wrong,  and  were  running  with  all  their  speed  to- 
wards the  wharf. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  125 

Dory  was  not  content  with  merely  blowing  his 
whistle,  and,  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  Tom  meant  to 
do,  he  ran  after  him.  There  were  about  a  dozen 
Topovers,  as  nearly  as  he  could  judge,  but  he  did 
not  stop  to  ask  himself  what  he  should  do  alone 
against  such  a  host.  The  leader  of  the  young 
ruffians  was  not  as  fleet  of  foot  as  the  three  com- 
panions who  had  attended  him  to  the  grove,  and 
they  reached  the  wharf  when  he  had  accomplished 
about  two  thirds  of  the  distance. 

"  Hurry  up,  Pell  Sankland  !  "  shouted  Kidd  when 
he  came  to  the  wharf,  though  the  one  called  was 
not  far  ahead  of  Tom. 

Kidd  Digfield  appeared  to  be  the  second  in 
power  and  influence  of  the  party,  and  he  gave 
orders  enough  when  he  reached  the  vicinity  of  the 
pier  to  confuse  and  confound  those  who  had  ob- 
tained a  footing  in  the  boats.  There  were  five  in 
one  barge  and  four  in  the  other.  They  had 
already  cast  off  the  painters,  and  hauled  the  boats 
up  to  the  side  of  the  wharf. 

"  Let  the  boats  alone  ! "  shouted  Dory,  when  he 
had  nearly  overtaken  Tom  Topover. 

"  What  are  you  go'n  to  do  about  it  ?  "  demanded 
Tom,  halting,  and  facing  about. 

"  Those   fellows    must    not    meddle   with    the 


126  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES  ; 

boats,"  answered  the  coxswain,  and  he  was  not 
disposed  to  stop  to  parley  with  the  chief  ruffian. 

"  'T  ain't  none  of  your  bread  and  butter ;  you 
said  so  yourself,"  interposed  Tom,  stepping  in 
front  of  Dory  with  clenched  fists  to  bar  his  further 
advance. 

The  coxswain  was  not  disposed  to  waste  any 
time  in  words  with  Tom,  and  he  attempted  to  pass 
him  by  dodging  to  one  side,  but  the  ruffian  threw 
himself  upon  him,  seizing  him  by  his  coat  collar. 
This  was  an  act  of  violence,  and  it  roused  the  lion 
in  Dory's  nature.  lie  shook  off  the  grasp  of  his 
assailant  without  any  difficulty,  for  if  he  was  not  as 
quick  as  lightning,  he  was  about  as  near  it  as 
a  boy  of  his  weight  could  be.  Once  more  ho 
attempted  to  p:iss  his  assailant,  but  Tom  got  in 
front  of  him  again. 

w  If  you  want  to  fight,  come  on ! "  foamed  the 
Topover,  as  ho  put  himself  into  the  order  of  battle. 

w  I  don't  want  to  fight,  but  I  shall  defend  my- 
self," replied  Dory.  "  Out  of  my  way  !  " 

Instead  of  taking  himself  out  of  the  coxswain's 
path,  Tom  aimed  a  blow  at  Dory's  head.  The 
ruffian  might  as  well  have  pitched  into  the  sea- 
serpent  or  a  royal  Bengal  tiger  as  into  Dory  Dorn- 
wood.  lie  was  rather  smaller  than  his  assailant, 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  127 

but  he  had  learned  the  art  of  self-defence  of  a 
Burlington  barber,  who  had  formerly  being  a 
teacher  of  the  "  science."  His  frame  seemed  to 
be  made  of  steel  wire.  He  had  brains  and  great 
dexterity  of  movement.  Abundant  exercise  in 
boats  and  other  training  had  fully  developed  his 
powers,  and  every  student  in  the  Beech  Hill 
Industrial  School  knew  that  he  was  a  terribly 
"hard  hitter." 

The  coxswain  easily  parried  the  blow  aimed  at 
him  with  his  left  hand,  and  planted  a  sledge- 
hammer hit  with  his  right  in  Tom's  face.  The 
Topover  went  just  where  Oscar  Chester  had  gone 
on  a  similar  occasion  at  Plattsbur^  —  on  the 

O 

ground,  flat  on  his  back.  Doubtless  the  leader  of 
the  young  ruffians  was  greatly  astonished,  not  to 
say  confounded,  at  this  unexpected  reception,  for 
his  historical  studies  had  been  neglected,  and  he 
had  never  heard  of  the  Battle  of  Plattsburg,  at 
least  the  particular  one  to  which  we  refer. 

Dory  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  push  the 
battle  any  farther  at  the  present  moment,  though 
Tom  instantly  sprang  to  his  feet,  in  spite  of  some 
confusion  in  his  ideas.  With  one  eye  on  his 
assailant,  Dory  retreated  a  few  steps,  and  then 
resumed  his  march  on  the  wharf. 


128  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES. 

"  Hold  on  !  I  hain't  licked  you  yet,  and  I'm  go'n 
to  do  it  afore  I  get  through,"  said  Tom,  moving 
towards  his  intended  victim. 

"  I  can't  wait  for  you  to  do  it  now,"  replied 
Dory,  as  he  broke  into  a  run. 

But  Tom  began  to  swear  like  a  pirate,  and 
rushed  after  Dory.  The  latter  had  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  out  of  his  way,  and  ho  readied  the 
wharf  just  as  the  villains  in  the  boats  had  shoved 
them  clear  of  the  pier.  Kidd  had  put  six  of  the 
party  in  each  barge,  and  they  had  manned  the 
oars.  But  they  had  been  obliged  to  leave  their 
leader  behind. 

Tom  Topover  now  observed  this  bit  of  strategy,' 
and  he  divided  his  vials  of  wrath  between  the 
coxswain  and  his  lieutentant. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    VICTORY   FOR   THE    TOPOVERS. 

"T\ORY  DORNWOOD  reached  the  wharf  too 
late  to  prevent  the  ruffians  from  getting  off 
in  the  boats  ;  and  his  failure  filled  him  with  con- 
sternation. It  was  not  for  a  few  minutes,  as  Tom 
Topover  had  said,  that  the  ruffians  wanted  them, 
but  for  all  day,  or  for  a  week  or  a  month,  if  they 
were  not  sooner  taken  from  them.  Living  on  the 
river  and  near  the  lake,  such  fellows  would  natu- 
rally take  to  the  water,  and  all  or  most  of  them 
knew  how  to  handle  an  oar,  but  not  one  of  them 
could  be  called  a  skilful  boatman,  though  Kidd 
-Digfield  claimed  to  be  a  sailor  on  the  ground  that 
he  had  made  two  trips  in  a  lumber  schooner. 

Even  if  the  Topovers  were  competent  to  handle 
a  common  row-boat,  it  was  quite  another  thing  to 
manage  a  barge  fifty  feet  long,  pulled  by  twelve 
oars.  If  they  succeeded  in  getting  the  boats  out 
of  the  river,  they  were  likely  to  swamp  them  in 
the  waves,  smash  them  on  the  rocks,  or  grind  their 

129 


130  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ', 

cedar  bottoms  on  the  gravelly  beaches.  Dory 
had  a  genuine  affection  for  the  Winooski,  and  it 
grieved  him  sorely  to  see  her  in  the  hands  of  such 
a  vilhiinous  crew  as  the  Topovers. 

Of  course  thsre  was  nothing  to  be  done  at 
Beech  Hill  until  the  barges  were  recovered.  The 
wind  was  northwest  and  blowing  fresh,  as  on  the 
day  before,  and  it  was  dangerous  for  an  unskilful 
crew  to  venture  out  on  the  lake.  The  lives  of  the 
reckless  party  would  be  in  peril  as  well  as  the 
boats. 

Dory  had  but  a  few  moments  to  consider  the 
matter.  Matt  Randolph  and  Oscar  Chester  were 
near  him,  out  of  breath  after  the  run  they  had 
made.  Tom  Topover  had  retreated  to  the  shore 
of  the  pond;  and  the  coxswain  of  the  Winooski, 
not  wishing  to  engage  in  a  fight,  had  neglected  to 
follow  him.  Nim  Splugger  had  taken  command 
of  the  Gildrock,  and  Kidd  Digfield  of  the  Wi- 
nooski. They  had  made  sure  to  put  a  couple  of 
lengths  between  the  barges  and  the  wharf,  and  in 
this  position  they  were  as  safe  from  any  interfer- 
ence of  the  boys  on  shore  as  though  they  had 
been  in  the  middle  of  the  lake. 

There  was  no  boat  at  the  grove,  and  no  means 
of  pursuing  the  captors  of  the  barges.  In  fact, 


OE,   BUILDING    THE   HOUSE.  131 

nothing  at  all  could  be  done,  and  for  the  moment 
the  situation  looked  hopeless  to  the  coxswains. 
Kidd  proceeded  to  give  directions  to  his  crew  as 
soon  as  the  immediate  danger  of  capture  was 
passed.  Taking  the  tiller-lines  himself,  he  brought 
something  like  order  out  of  the  confusion  in  his 
crew.  After  a  great  deal  of  sharp  talk,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  his  fellows  so  that  they  could 
pull  a  stroke  together,  and  the  Winooski  slowly 
moved  towards  the  lower  end  of  the  lake. 

Kidd  could  not  help  seeing  the  chief  Topover 
on  the  shore,  and  as  soon  as  his  crew  were  in 
working  order,  he  headed  to  the  point  where  he 
stood.  Dory  immediately  observed  the  change  in 
the  course  of  the  Winooski,  and  understood  the 
purpose  of  her  present  coxswain,  which  was  to 
take  Tom  on  board.  By  this  time  Matt  and  Oscar 
were  as  near  the  spot  where  Tom  was  waiting  for 
the  boat  as  Dory  was. 

"Head  them  off!"  shouted  Dory,  as  he  started 
at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

"Pull  lively,  fellers!"  yelled  Kidd  Digfield, 
when  he  saw  the  three  students  running  towards 
his  leader. 

They  did  pull  with  all  their  might,  and  as  the 
Winooski  was  bound  to  go  ahead  when  the  oars 


i32  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

crossed  her  gunwale,  she  was  too  much  for  the 
runners  on  the  shore.  Dory  hoped  one  of  the 
clumsy  oarsmen  would  "  catch  a  crab  "  at  that  im- 
portant moment,  but  not  one  of  them  gratified  his 
desire.  He  was  within  a  couple  of  rods  of  Tom, 
ind  was  all  ready  to  pitch  into  him,  when  Kidd 
ordered  his  crew  to  stop  rowing,  and  then  to  back 
water. 

The  inexperienced  coxswain  had  not  calculated 
well,  and  the  boat  lost  her  headway  when  her 
sharp  bow  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  shore. 
Dory's  hopes  swelled  when  he  saw  the  boat  come 
to  a  stand,  and  he  increased  his  speed. 

"  Pull  again  !  "  shouted  Kidd,  almost  crazy  with 
excitement,  when  he  realized  that  he  was  losing 
the  game. 

But  his  undisciplined  crew  were  in  confusion, 
and  only  half  of  them  could  bring  their  oars  to 
bear.  The  barge  went  ahead  again  just  as  Dory 
was  about  to  pounce  on  Tom  Topover.  The 
leader  of  the  ruffians  saw  his  peril,  and  he  did  not 
seem  to  be  "  spoiling  for  a  fight "  at  just  that  mo- 
ment, perhaps  because  his  late  victim  had  been 
reinforced  by  a  couple  of  his  companions.  He 
had  not  another  instant  to  spare,  and  Tom  made  a 
vigorous  leap  for  the  bow  of  the  Winooski. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  .33 

The  stem  of  the  barge  was  not  more  than  tv..<je  or 
four  feet  distant  when  the  Topover  made  his  leap, 
but  the  pointed  bow  was  an  ugly  foundation  to 
strike  upon.  He  could  not  throw  his  body  into 
the  fore  sheets,  but  he  succeeded  in  grasping  the 
gunwale  with  both  hands,  while  the  lower  half  of 
his  body  Avent  into  the  water.  Unfortunately  the 
force  of  his  blow  had  been  imparted  to  the  for- 
ward part  of  the  barge,  and  it  had  been  shoved 
farther  away  from  the  shore. 

Tom  Topover  dragged  himself  into  the  Wi- 
nooski.  Seizing  a  boathook,  he  stood  up  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  evidently  intending  to  use  it  in 
case  of  need  in  defending  himself  from  an  attack 
of  his  pursuers.  The  two  coxswains  reached  the 
shore  with  their  wind  about  gone,  to  find  that  ten 
feet  of  deep  water  lay  between  them  and  the 
nearest  part  of  the  Winooski.  They  could  leap 
into  the  water  and  swim  to  her,  and  Oscar  Chester 
propossd  to  do  so ;  but  this  would  have  been 
folly,  for  the  ruffians  could  easily  beat  them  off 
with  their  oars  and  the  boathooks. 

Nim  Splugger,  who  had  assumed  the  command 
of  the  Gildrock,  did  not  claim  to  be  a  sailor, 
though  he  had  often  pulled  an  oar.  He  lacked 
confidence  in  his  own  ability,  and  was  therefore 


134  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

not  so  imperative  in  his  orders  as  Kidd.  The 
boat  was  clear  of  the  wharf,  and  he  took  time  to 
arrange  his  crew  at  the  oars.  Before  he  could  get 
them  into  working  order,  their  attention  was 
attracted  to  Tom  and  the  movements  of  the  "Wi- 
nooski.  They  rested  on  their  oars,  watching  the 
issue  of  the  affair  near  the  shore. 

"  Now,  back  her,  fellers  !  "  yelled  Kidd  Digfield, 
as  soon  as  he  saw  that  Tom  was  in  the  boat. 

"  No,  you  don't  back  her,  Kidd  !  "  roared  Tom 
Topover.  "That  ain't  no  way  to  do  it !  Pull  on 
this  side,"  and  the  leader  pointed  to  the  starboard 
side  ;•  "  back  on  t'other  !  " 

Tom  was  right,  if  he  did  not  claim  to  be  a 
sailor,  and  Kidd  was  wrong,  for  backing  her 
would  only  have  sent  the  barge  along  parallel 
with  the  shore,  with  the  chances  of  a  deviation 
which  would  have  thrown  the  stern  within  reach 
of  the  students  on  shore.  Tom  called  his  dis- 
ciples by  name,  and  told  each  one  what  to  do. 
Kidd  took  in  his  captain's  idea,  and  helped  him 
with  his  words.  Under  their  united  directions, 
the  head  of  the  Winooski  was  thrown  around,  and 
she  was  forced  out  into  the  lake. 

"  I  hain't  done  with  you  yet,  Dory,"  yelled  Tom, 
shaking  his  fist  at  the  proper  coxswain  of  the 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  135 

barge.  "Afore  you  are  a  week  older  I'll  give 
you  the  biggest  l.ickin'  you  ever  got  in  your  life. 
I  '11  crack  half  the  bones  in  your  body  !  I  '11 
mash  your  head  till  you  won't  know  it  from  a  last 
years  punkin  ! " 

"  You  had  better  bring  those  boats  back  before 
you  get  into  hot  water,"  replied  Dory,  more  in 
grief  than  in  anger.  "  Let  me  tell  you  that  you 
are  stealing  them,  and  Captain  Gildrock  will  haul 
you  up  before  the  court  for  it." 

"  Shut  up,  you  monkey  milksop  !  When  we  Ve 
done  with  the  boats  we  '11  set  'em  a-tire  !  "  returned 
Torn. 

"  I  ean't  stand  this  !  I  shall  boil  over ! "  ex- 
claimed Oscar  Chester.  "  I  should  like  to  get 

O 

near  enough  to  that  scallawag  to  pitch  into  him." 

"Keep  cool,  Oscar,"  said  Dory.     "We  can't  do 

anything  just  now,  and  it 's  no  use  to  boil  over." 

"What   makes   that   fellow  so   down   on   you, 

Dory?"  asked  Matt  Randolph.     "He  didn't  say 

anything  to  Oscar  and  me." 

"  Perhaps  I  gave  him  reason  to  be  down  upon 
me,  though  I  only  defended  myself.  I  knocked 
him  over  when  he  tried  to  stop  me  from  reaching 
the  wharf,"  answered  the  coxswain  of  the  Wi- 
nooski.  "  If  I  had  only  got  among  those  ruffians 


136  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

half  a  minute  sooner,  I  might  have  saved  the  boats, 
though  I  should  have  had  to  stand  up  against  the 
whole  of  them." 

Matt  wanted  to  know  more  about  the  aftair,  and 
Dory  told  all  that  had  happened  since  he  first  saw 
the  Topovers.  By  the  time  his  fellow  coxswain 
hud  heard  the  story,  the  rest  of  the  two  crews 
began  to  arrive.  They  could  see  for  themselves 
why  they  had  been  summoned  so  soon.  Tom  had 
taken  possession  of  the  stern-sheets  of  the  Wi- 
nooski,  and  sent  Kidd  to  one  of  the  vacant  thwarts 
to  row.  The  ruffians  were  struggling  with  the 
oars,  for,  though  they  had  the  strength,  they  were 
utterly  lacking  in  discipline  and  knowledge.  But 
they  pulled  with  some  degree  of  unanimity,  and 
the  Winooski  went  ahead  at  a  very  moderate  rate. 
The  Gildrock  was  doing  better  than  her  consort, 
for  Nim  Splugger  did  not  confuse  his  crew  with 
too  many  orders,  and  each  one  got  the  hang  of 
the  oar  in  his  own  way. 

Both  boats  were  moving,  and  were  headed 
towards  the  outlet  of  the  lake.  Their  regular 
crews  at  the  grove  could  only  look  on,  for  they 
were  powerless  to  raise  a  finger  to  recover  the 
boats  at  present.  One  after  another  suggested 
various  experiments  for  demolishing  the  Topovers, 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  137 

but  their  schemes  were  either  foolish  or  impracti- 
cable. Oscar  Chester  wanted  to  run  down  to  the 
narrowest  place  on  the  outlet,  and  make  an  attack 
on  the  marauders ;  but  both  Matt  and  Dory  were 
not  in  favor  of  such  a  plan. 

"  If  we  get  desperate,  and  try  to  break  things, 
those  villains  will  smash  the  boats  rather  than  let 
us  get  them.  That  Tom  Topover  is  as  mad  as  a 
March  hare  at  the  rap  Dory  gave  him,"  said  Matt. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  report  to  Captain  Gild- 
rock,  for  I  don't  see  that  we  can  do  anything 
here,"  suggested  Dory,  as  he  gazed  sadly  at  the 
retreating  barges. 

"  We  can't  even  get  over  to  Beech  Hill,"  added 
Luke  Bennington,  as  he  glanced  across  the  lake  at 
the  school  grounds. 

"  We  must  go  around  by  the  road,  and  it  is 
over  a  mile,"  added  Pemberton  Millweed. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  somebody  on  the  other 
side  must  have  seen  what  was  going  on,"  said 

o  O  " 

Matt. 

"  I  don't  think  anyone  has  seen  what  was  going 
on,"  replied  Dory.  "  Bates  is  on  duty  in  the  dor- 
mitory, the  teachers  are  attending  to  their  own 
affairs,  and  probably  Captain  Gildrock  is  in  the 
house.  If  any  of  them  saw  thr  boats  going  down 


138  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

the  lake,  they  were  too  far  off  to  know  who  were 
in  them.  If  my  uncle  knew  anything  about  this 
business,  he  would  have  sent  a  boat  over  before 
this  time." 

"  If  we  had  been  in  any  mischief,  half  a  dozen 
of  them  would  have  seen  us,"  said  Thad  Glovering, 
with  a  laugh. 

"It's  no  use  to  stay  here,  and  we  may  as  well 
walk  around  by  the  road  and  report  to  Captain 
Gildrock,"  added  Dory. 

This  was  considered  the  best  thins:  to  do,  and 
in  half  an  hour  they  arrived  at  the  school  grounds 
on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  No  one  knew  any- 
thing of  what  had  happened  on  the  other  side  of 
the  water.  They  could  not  find  the  principal 
about  the  place ;  and  at  last  one  of  the  stablemen 
said  he  had  gone  to  the  village  with  Mrs.  Dorn- 
wood  in  the  buggy. 

Mr.  Jepson,  the  master  machinist,  was  the  only 
instructor  they  could  find  about  the  premises,  and 
he  agreed  with  Dory  and  Matt  that  something 
should  be  done  at  once. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    PURSUIT    IN    THE    GOLDWING. 

TT  was  easier  to  decide  that  something  should  be 
done  than  it  was  to  determine  what  to  do. 
Mr.  Jepson  suggested  the  Sylph,  but  it  would  take 
some  time  to  get  up  steam,  and  Dory  thought  she 
would  not  be  the  most  convenient  craft  in  a  conflict 
with  the  barges.  He  was  decidedly  in  favor  of 
pursuing  the  marauders  in  the  Goldwing. 

In  the  smashing  breeze  on  the  lake  she  would 
sail  nearly  as  fast  as  the  steamer,  and  he  could 
have  her  under  way  in  five  minutes.  The  schooner 
could  follow  the  boats  into  shoal  water,  while  the 
Sylph  must  have  eight  or  nine  feet,  and  if  Tom 
Topover  was  smart,  she  might  not  be  able  to  go 
within  a  mile  of  the  barges. 

"  I  am  more  afraid  the  rascals  will  smash  the  boats 
than  that  we  shall  not  get  them  again,"  said  Matt 
Randolph.  ''They  are  reckless  fellows,  and  will 
run  them  on  the  rocks  or  shoals." 

"We  must  look  out  for  that,"  replied  Dory. 

139 


140  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"  If  they  go  out  on  the  lake  they  are  more  likely 
to  swamp  them  than  they  are  to  smash  them.  But 
we  are  losing  time,  and  I  should  like  to  catch  the 
villains  before  they  are  out  of  the  river,  tor  I  think 
they  won't  hurry  after  they  get  out  of  sight  of 
Beech  Hill." 

"  Goldwing  it  is  !  "  exclaimed  Luke  Bennington. 

"  So  say  we  all  of  us ! "  shouted  the  others, 
beginning  to  be  somewhat  excited  at  the  prospect 
of  a  lively  time  with  the  Topovers. 

"Dory  shall  command  the  expedition,"  added 
Thad  Glovering. 

"Matt  is  a  better  skipper  than  I  am,"  modestly 
added  Dory. 

"No,  I  am  not,"  protested  Matt.  "And  Dory 
is  better  acquainted  with  the  Goldwing  than  I  am, 
and  he  shall  conduct  the  affair." 

"But  you  can't  all  go  in  the  Goldwing,"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Jepson.  "  There  are  eighteen  of  you, 
and  you  will  be  so  crowded  that  you  will  knock  one 
another  overboard." 

"  Although  the  schooner  will  carry  eighteen  well 
enough,  we  can  do  nothing  on  board  with  so 
many,  and  nine  or  ten  are  all  we  need,"  added 
Dory. 

"But  there  are  fourteen  of  the  ruffians,"  sug- 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  141 

gested  Thad  Glovering.  "  They  are  used  to  fight- 
ing, u nd  we  want  as  many  fellows  as  they  have." 

"I  don't  believe  there  will  be  much  fighting," 
replied  Dory,  laughing ;  "  but  if  there  should  be, 
we  can  do  better  with  ten  than  we  can  with  twice 
that  number.  With  eighteen  we  should  be  in  one 
another's  way." 

"  Ten  only  will  go,"  said  Mr.  Jepson  decidedly. 

"But  who  shall  they  be?"  demanded  Luke 
Bennington.  "  Every  fellow  wants  to  go  and  have 
a  hand  in  the  fun." 

"  There  is  where  the  difficulty  comes  in,"  added 
Matt.  "  I  think  Dory  had  better  select  his  own 
crew ;  and  for  one,  if  I  am  elected  to  stay  at  home, 
I  won't  complain." 

"  You  know  very  well  that  you  will  be  elected 
to  go,  Matt,"  said  Will  Orwell. 

"I  don't  like  to  select  a  crew;  I  wish  all  could 
go,  and  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  any  nine,"  inter- 
posed Dory. 

"Under  these  circumstances  the  best  thing  a 
fellow  can  do  is  to  volunteer  to  stay  behind ;  and 
I  volunteer  not  to  go,"  said  Oscar  Chester.  "  I 
should  like  to  go  as  well  as  the  next  one,  and  I 
don't  want  any  fellow  to  think  I  am  chickenish." 

"We  know  you  are  not,  Oscar,"  added  Dave 


142  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

Windsor ;  and  all  the  students  began  to  clap  their 
hands  at  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  first  volunteer. 

Bolingbroke  Millvveed  followed  Oscar's  ex- 
ample ;  then  came  Matt  Randolph  and  Luke 
Bennington.  It  was  the  unselfish  and  brave  thing 
to  volunteer  to  stay  at  home,  and  no  one  was 
willing  to  stay  behind  in  doing  a  good  deed.  In 
a  moment  more  the  whole  seventeen  had  volun- 
teered to  remain  at  Beech  Hill. 

"  I  don't  like  to  be  alone,  and  I  will  join  the 
crowd,"  exclaimed  Dory,  greatly  amused  at  the 
situation.  "  We  are  just  as  badly  off  as  we  were 
in  the  beginning,  and  the  Topovers  are  pulling 
down  the  river  all  the  time.  I  will  tell  you  how 
to  settle  the  matter  so  that  it  shall  be  fair  for  all." 

"All  right,  Dory:  propel!"  exclaimed  Dave 
AVinslow. 

"  Matt  Randolph  is  the  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock, 
and  he  must  go  anyhow.  For  the  other  eight 
you  must  draw  lots.  Mr.  Jepson  will  attend  to 
the  matter,  and  Matt  and  I  will  get  the  Gold  wing 
ready,"  said  Dory,  beginning  to  be  impatient  at 
the  delay. 

All  of  them  clapped  their  hands  in  token  of 
their  approval  of  the  plan.  The  master  machinist 
took  out  his  pencil  and  wrote  the  numbers  from 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  143 

one  to  sixteen  on  the  back  of  a  letter.  Around 
eight  of  them,  taken  at  random,  he  drew  a  square. 
Calling  Miss  Millweed  from  the  schoolroom,  he 
gave  the  paper  to  her. 

"Now,  Luke,  select  a  number  less  than  seven- 
teen," continued  Mr.  Jepson. 

"  Forty-two,"  said  Luke,  laughing. 

"  I  shall  have  to  turn  you  over  to  Mr.  Darlingby 
for  further  instruction  in  arithmetic,"  replied  Mr. 
Jepson. 

"  Twelve,"  shouted  Luke. 

"Is  that  number  enclosed  in  a  square,  Miss 
Millweed?"  asked  the  machinist. 

"  It  is  not,"  replied  the  lady  clerk. 

"Then  you  are  blackballed,  Luke,"  added  Mr. 
Jepson. 

"  Of  course  I  am  ;   I  knew  I  should  be." 

"  But  with  the  eight  who  are  elected  not  to  go 
we  will  go  down  the  river  in  the  two  four-oar 
boats  ;  and  we  may  be  able  to  assist  in  the  capture 
of  the  barges,"  said  the  machinist. 

All  hands  applauded  this  announcement,  and 
the  lot  proceeded.  Oscar  Chester,  the  first  to 
volunteer  to  remain  behind,  was  «one  of  the  first 
who  selected  a  squared  number.  This  result  was 
heartily  applauded.  From  being  the  worst  bully 


144  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES; 

in  the  crowd  he  had  come  to  be  a  very  gentlemanly 
and  unselfish  fellow.  The  discipline  of  Captain 
Gildrock  had  done  wonders  for  him. 

By  the  time  the  last  of  Dory's  crew  hud  been 
drawn,  the  schooner  was  under  way,  and  standing 
in  towards  the  wharf.  The  eight  who  had  been 
"blackballed,"  as  the  machinist  called  it,  were 
directed  to  man  the  two  four-oar  boats,  and  put 
the  others  on  board  of  the  yacht. 

"  Now  we  are  all  right,  and  under  way  at  last," 
said  Matt  Randolph. 

"  But  the  Topovers  have  a  start  of  all  of  an 
hour  ahead  of  us,  and  if  they  have  been  using 
their  oars  they  must  be  well  out  in  the  lake  by 
this  time,"  added  Dory. 

"I  don't  believe  they  will  go  a  great  way  out 
into  the  lake,"  replied  Matt.  "There  must  be  a 
smart  sea  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  for  the  wind 
is  a  good  deal  heavier  than  it  was  yesterday." 

"  The  rest  of  the  fellows  are  coming  down  the 
river  in  the  four-oar  boats,"  said  Oscar.  "  I  sup- 
pose they  are  going  to  help  us,  and  we  ought  to 
make  short  work  of  this  affair." 

"Are  }'ou  going  to  lay  them  aboard,  Dory?" 
asked  Matt,  who  was  rather  inclined  to  quiz  his 
fellow  coxswain. 


OK,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  145 

"  I  have  n't  the  least  idea  how  \ve  shall  manage 
the  business,"  replied  the  skipper  of  the  Goldwing. 

"  But  you  ought  to  have  a  plan,"  suggested  the 
New  York  boatman. 

"  How  can  you  make  a  plan  before  you  know 
what  the  Topovers  intend  to  do,  and  before  you 
ascertain  the  situation  of  the  boats?"  asked  the 
skipper.  "  It 's  no  use  to  try  to  cross  the  river 
before  you  get  to  it." 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  do  you  mean  to  board  the 
barges  and  fight  it  out,  or  to  mano3tivre  them  out 
of  the  game  as  you  did  the  Chesterfields  ? "  con- 
tinued Matt,  rather  disappointed  to  find  that  Dory 
did  not  lean  upon  him  as  much  as  he  desired  and 
expected. 

"I  am  ready  to  do  either  or  both,  as  the  cir- 
cumstances happen  to  favor,"  replied  the  skipper. 
"  If  you  will  take  the  tiller,  Matt,  I  will  go  for- 
ward and  '  clear  ship  for  action.' " 

The  schooner  was  going  at  great  speed,  with  the 
wind  on  the  beam,  and  the  outlet  was  very  narrow. 
Dory  went  forward,  and  proceeded  to  arrange 
certain  rigging  on  the  forward  deck.  He  did  not 
explain  what  he  was  doing,  but  he  worked  as 
though  he  had  some  idea  of  his  possible  action  in 
the  encounter  with  the  Topovers. 


146  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

While  he  was  busy  with  the  lines,  the  centre- 
board of  the  Gold  wing  suddenly  flew  up,  and  a 
moment  later  the  bottom  of  the  yacht  was  scraping 
on  the  sand.  Dory  suspended  his  work,  and 
looked  up. 

"  Here  we  are ! "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  looked 
around  him,  and  then  at  the  helmsman. 

"  I  thought  there  was  water  enough  here  for 
her,"  said  Matt,  greatly  chagrined  to  find  that  he 
had  run  the  schooner  aground  when  the}'  were  in 
such  a  hurry. 

"  So  there  is  if  you  only  keep  in  it,"  replied 
Dory  laughing,  for  he  did  not  wish  to  hurt  the 
feelings  of  his  fellow  coxswain.  "  I  have  done 
that  same  thing  myself,  Matt,  and  I  did  it  as 
handsomely  as  you  have  done  it." 

"  We  have  to  haul  her  up  into  the  wind  here% 
and  I  was  afraid  she  would  go  ashore  on  the  other 
side,"  pleaded  Matt.  "  But  here  we  are  with  the 
centreboard  up  in  the  air,  and  the  planks  rasping 
the  sand  on  the  bottom." 

The  disaster  occurred  at  the  bend  in  the  outlet, 
which  Dory  called  the  "  V  point."  The  current, 
which  was  quite  strong  at  high  water,  deposited  a 
great  deal  of  sand  at  the  apex  of  the  point,  while 
its  force  made  a  clear  channel  near  the  shore  on  the 


OR,   BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  147 

other  side.  When  the  wind  was  northwest  it  was 
necessary  to  hug  the  point  as  closely  as  possible. 

The  two  oars  and  the  boathook  were  at  once 
brought  into  use,  but  it  was  impossible  to  move 
the  hull  in  this  way.  Dory  sent  a  couple  of  the 
crew  ashore  in  the  tender  with  a  line,  which  they 
made  fast  to  a  tree  near  the  deep  water.  The 
anchor  was  taken  on  deck,  and  the  other  end  of 
the  line  passed  through  the  block  on  the  bowsprit. 
All  on  board  manned  this  line,  and  the  bow  was 
hauled  oft'  almost  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 
Matt  insisted  that  Dory  should  take  the  helm, 
when  the  tender  had  returned  with  the  line. 

It  was  not  an  easy  thing  to  get  under  way  again 
in  that  bad  place  and  Matt  was  very  much  mor- 
tified at  the  mishap.  The  skipper  said  all  he 
could  to  comfort  him,  and  gave  him  the  helm 
again  as  soon  as  the  schooner  was  in  Beaver  River. 
He  arranged  his  lines  as  he  had  before,  and  by  the 
time  he  had  done  this  the  Goldwing  was  approach- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  river.  But  a  bend  prevented 
them  from  seeing  out  into  the  lake. 

o 

"  There  they  are  !  "  shouted  Dory  at  the  heel  of 
the  bowsprit,  where  he  could  get  the  first  view  of 
the  white-capped  waves.  "They  are  doing  the 
very  thing  I  was  afraid  they  would  do." 


148  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

"  What 's  that,  Dory  ?  "  asked  Matt,  starting  the 
sheets  as  the  course  of  the  yacht  was  changed. 

"They  are  standing  across  the  lake,  and  in  a 
short  time,  if  they  make  any  headway,  they  will 
he  in  smooth  water,"  replied  the  skipper. 

Matt  did  not  ask  any  questions,  and  possibly  he 
suspected  that  Dory  was  his  superior  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  boat.  If  he  did,  it  was  only  be- 
cause he  was  mortified  at  the  accident  at  V  Point. 
The  Goldwing  went  out  into  the  lake,  and  began 
to  dance  on  the  billows.  The  two  barges  appeared 
to  be  doing  very  well,  in  spite  of  the  inefficient 
crew  at  the  oars.  Both  of  them  were  pitching 
smartly,  and  were  not  taking  in  water  except  in 
the  form  of  spray. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Goldwing  was  within 
hailing  distance  of  the  barges.  Dory  declined 
to  take  the  helm  when  Matt  suggested,  and  was 
again  busy  with  his  lines  on  the  forward  deck. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    SKIPPER    USES    A    NAUTICAL   LASSO. 

TTTTIAT'S  that?"  called  George  Duane,  while 
Dory  was  still  busy  on  the  forward  deck. 

This  question  was  called  forth  by  what  sounded 
like  a  volley  of  cheers  from  the  New  York  side 
of  the  lake ;  but  nothing  could  be  seen  to  indicate 
the  source  from  which  the  noise  came. 

"  There  it  is  again,"  added  John  Brattle,  as 
three  distinct  cheers  came  over  the  waves. 
"  There  is  some  sort  of  a  party  up  that  littla 
cove." 

There  was  an  inlet  just  to  the  south  of  the 
barges,  from  which  it  was  now  evident  that  the 
sounds  came.  But  parties  from  the  surrounding 
country  frequently  had  frolics  on  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  and  the  students  concluded  that  the  cheers 
came  from  one  of  these  gatherings. 

The  Topovers  continued  on  their  course,  and 
seemed  to  be  laboring  to  increase  their  speed, 
which  was  certainly  moderate  enough.  They 

149 


150  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

pulled  but  six  ours  in  each  barge,  and  against 
the  wind  and  the  heavy  sea  they  could  make  but 
little  progress.  The  Goldvving  was  making  three 
miles  to  their  one,  and  the  moment  for  action  was 
near. 

Though  the  Goldwing  was  close-hauled,  she 
leaped  over  the  waves  like  a  bird,  and  Matt  was 
running  directly  for  the  barges,  one  of  which  was 
following  the  other,  the  Winooski  being  ahead. 
The  skipper  finished  arranging  the  lines  on  the 
forward  deck.  Getting  on  his  feet  he  made  a 
careful  survey  of  the  situation. 

"  Matt,  can  you  go  to  windward  of  the  barges?" 
he  called  to  the  helmsman. 

"  I  might,  possibly,  but  it  would  be  a  close 
squeeze,"  replied  Matt. 

"  Then  we  must  work  more  to  windward  :  tack, 
if  you  please,"  added  Dory ;  and  it  was  evident 
that  he  had  prepared  his  plan  of  attack. 

Matt  came  about  and  headed  the  Goldwing  to  the 
north.  Dory  kept  his  eye  on  the  barges,  but  he 
gave  no  hint  of  his  method  of  operations.  Prob- 
ably Matt  thought  he  was  entitled  to  be  informed 
in  regard  to  the  plan,  but  the  accident  in  the  river 
for  which  he  was  responsible  had  humbled  him, 
and  he  asked  no  questions. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  151 

When  the  schooner  had  made  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  northing,  the  skipper  gave  the  order 
to  tack  again.  Matt  was  directed  to  steer  for  a 
certain  point  on  the  shore,  which  would  carry  the 
yacht  a  little  distance  to  windward  of  the  barges, 
allowing  for  the  headway  they  would  make  before 
she  could  reach  them.  In  that  lively  breeze  even 
the  width  of  the  lake  at  Beaver  River  was  only  a 
run  of  a  few  minutes  for  the  Goldwing,  and  she 
was  very  soon  abreast  of  the  Gildrock.  The 
Winooski  was  about  a  hundred  fathoms  ahead  of 
her. 

"  Now,  Matt,  we  have  some  sharp  work  to  do, 
and  every  thing  must  be  done  on  the  instant,"  said 
Dory,  when  the  Goldwing  had  passed  the  Gildrock 
and  was  up  with  the  Winooski. 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  take  the  helm,  then?" 
suggested  the  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock. 

"  I  can't,  for  I  have  a  job  to  do  here  on  the  for- 
ward deck.  We  shall  go  about,  and  run  for  the 
Gildrock  in  a  moment,"  replied  Dory.  "  I  want 
you  to  make  for  her  stem  just  as  though  you 
meant  to  run  her  down." 

w  All  right,  Dory ;  I  will  obey  orders  to  the 
letter,"  returned  the  helmsman. 

"  I  would  rather  you  would  obey  them  in  spirit ; 


152  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

so  if  I  make  a  blunder,  and  get  knocked  out,  I 
want  you  to  correct  it,"  added  Dory  lightly. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  are  going  to  do,  and  I 
can  only  obey  orders  to  the  letter,"  said  Malt. 

"  I  could  not  settle  on  any  plan  until  I  had  seen 
how  the  barges  lay ;  and  it  is  too  late  to  explain 
now.  Ready  about !  " 

Matt  promptly  obeyed  the  orders  given  him, 
and  the  schooner  came  entirely  around.  It  would 
have  been  a  shorter  way  to  jibe  her,  but  the 
skipper  never  ventured  upon  this  manoeuvre  when 
-the  wind  was  at  all  fresh;  for  he  was  not  one  of 
those  venturesome  boatmen  who  think  they  are 
not  smart  unless  they  incur  needless  risks. 

Dory  saw  that  Matt  was  carrying  out  his  orders 
to  the  letter,  and  it  was  clear  that  Nim  Splugger, 
the  acting  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock,  was  getting 
nervous  as  he  saw  the  Goldwing  dashing  down 
upon  his  craft. 

"  "W  hat  are  you  about  ?  You  will  run  over  us  ! " 
yelled  Nim,  when  he  saw  the  schooner  within 
twenty  feet  of  him. 

The  oarsmen  were  inclined  to  desert  their  posts, 
and  kept  looking  behind  them  at  the  Goldwing. 
But  both  barges  had  been  in  the  trough  of  the 
sea,  and  those  in  charge  of  them  had  found  by 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  153 

actual  trial  that  the  only  way  they  could  go  was 
directly  across  the  lake,  against  the  wind.  This 
was  the  reason  why  the  barges  were  nearly  over 
to  the  New  York  shore,  and  not  because  they  were 
following  a  plan  of  their  own. 

"  Keep  to  your  oars,  fellers ! "  shouted  Xim 
Splugger,  when  he  saw  several  of  his  crew  cease 
rowing.  w  Never  mind  that  boat !  She  won't  run 
into  us." 

But  Nim  had  his  doubts  on  this  point,  for  the 
Gold  wing  did  not  budge  an  inch  from  her  course. 
Dory  had  looked  over  his  lines,  and  was  watching 
the  course  of  the  schooner  and  the  position  of  the 
Gildrock.  AVheu  the  schooner  was  within  ten  feet 
of  the  barge,  Nim  gave  a  frantic  yell,  and  all  the 
rowers  gave  up  in  despair. 

"  Keep  her  away  a  little,  Matt !  "  called  Dory, 
who  was  now  on  his  feet  with  a  line  in  each  hand. 

The  Topovers  in  the  Gildrock  gave  a  desperate 
yell,  satisfied  that  they  should  be  floundering  in 
the  angry  waters  the  next  instant.  The  Goldwing 
fell  oft*  a  trifle  at  this  moment,  in  obedience  to  the 
helm.  Dory  had  fixed  the  line  in  his  left  hand  on 
the  spur  of  the  light  boathook,  which  he  extended 
as  far  as  he  could  reach.  As  he  did  so,  one  of  the 
covers  from  the  cook-stove,  which  he  had  secured 


154  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  J 

to  the  bight  between  his  hands,  dropped  into  the 
water. 

Thus  arranged,  the  line  formed  a  snare  in  the 
shape  of  a  triangle,  the  stove-cover  sinking  the 
lower  angle  a  couple  of  feet  under  water.  As  the 
skipper  held  the  snare,  the  GSldrock  ran  her  bow 
directly  into  it.  The  bight  of  the  line  was  a  slip- 
noose,  and  as  the  schooner  drove  ahead,,  it 
tightened  up. 

As  the  Goldwing  went  ahead,  Dory  paid  out 
the  line  rapidly,  for  a  single  jerk  would  have  up- 
set the  barge.  The  Topovers  in  the  boat  were  so 
terrified  that  they  did  not  comprehend  what  Dory 
was  about. 

"  Hard  down  your  helm,  Matt !  "  shouted  Dory, 
with  tremendous  energy,  when  half  his  line  had 
run  out,  and  the  bow  of  the  schooner  was  abreast 
of  the  stern  of  the  Gildrock. 

Oscar  Chester  had  been  stationed  at  the  main- 
sheet,  and  the  instant  Matt  put  the  helm  down  he 
hauled  in  the  sheet  with  all  his  might.  The  effect 
of  these  orders,  as  they  were  sharply  executed, 
was  to  cause  the  Goldwing  to  circle  around  the 
stern  of  the  barge,  and  come  up  close-hauled  on 
her  starboard  side. 

"  Now  we  are  all  rijrht !     It 's  a  success  !  "  cried 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  155 

Dory,  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  person  who  has 
won  a  great  victory. 

But  even  his  own  crew  did  not  understand  what 
he  was  about,  and  had  not  the  least  idea  of  the 
working  of  his  plan.  All  that  had  been  done  had 
been  accomplished  in  a  few  seconds,  and  the  rapid 
working  of  the  schooner  absorbed  all  their  at- 
tention. 

When  the  Goldwing  came  about  under  the  stern 
of  the  barge,  Dory  rushed  aft  with  the  end  of  his 
line  in  his  hand,  and  made  it  fast  to  a  cleat.  The 
rope  had  sunk  in  the  water,  and  passed  under  the 
keel  of  the  Gildrock. 

"  Touch  her  up,  Matt !  Lively,  if  you  please  !  " 
said  Dory,  as  he  secured  the  line  in  his  hand. 

But  the  schooner  had  not  yet  got  under  full 
speed  since  she  came  about,  and  when  the  main- 
sail shook  she  had  lost  about  all  her  headway. 
But  she  was  not  permitted  to  come  to.  Dory 
took  the  helm  now,  which  Matt  was  very  willing 
to  have  him  do. 

"  Go  aft,  every  one  of  you  !  "  shouted  Dory  to 
the  Topovers  in  the  barge.  "If  you  don't  you 
will  be  overboard  in  a  moment !  " 

The  six  oarsmen  had  been  stationed  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  boat,  leaving  the  vacant  places  forward 


156  SQUARE   AND  COMPASSES; 

and  aft.  Without  waiting  for  orders  from  Nim 
Splugger,  the  rowers  all  hurried  aft  as  fast  as  the 
uneasy  motion  of  the  craft  would  permit.  This 
change  in  her  burden  caused  the  bow  of  the  Gild- 
rock  to  be  lifted  out  of  the  water,  which  was  pre- 
cisely what  Dory  desired.  Putting  the  helm  of 
Goldwing  up  he  allowed  the  yacht  to  gather  head- 
way by  slow  degrees.  He  had  lassoed  the  barge, 
but  he  was  not  certain  of  the  effect  when  he  should 
attempt  to  tow  her.  The  slip-noose  had  come  home 
so  that  the  knot  was  nearly  in  line  with  the  stem. 

w  I  see  now  what  you  are  about,"  said  Matt, 
while  Dory  was  experimenting  with  the  process 
of  towing  the  barge.  "  But  those  fellows  will  cut 
the  line  as  soon  as  they  get  a  little  used  to  the 
movement  of  the  boat  and  understand  what  you 
are  doing." 

"  If  any  one  of  them  attempts  to  go  forward, 
we  can  pitch  him  into  the  lake  as  quick  as  we  can 
shift  the  helm  of  the  Goldwing,"  replied  Dory 
confidently. 

"  I  see  ! "  exclaimed  Matt,  laughing.  "  A  pull 
sideways  would  heel  the  barge  over  so  that  the 
water  would  go  over  her  gunwale." 

rr  The  two  four-oar  boats  are  coming  !  "  shouted 
Dick  Short,  "  Mr.  Jepson  is  in  one  of  them." 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  157 

w  Good !  We  may  want  some  of  those  fellows 
before  we  get  through  with  this  business,"  replied 
the  skipper. 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  your  game 
now  that  you  have  snared  it,  Dory  ?  "  asked  Matt. 

tf  I  am  going  to  put  the  Topovers  ashore  over 
here,  and  send  the  Gildrock  home  at  once," 
answered  Dory.  "  I  should  have  told  you  about 
my  plan,  Matt,  but  I  did  n't  believe  in  it  myse  f 
until  the  last  minute.  I  was  sure  you  would  laugh 
at  it ;  and  if  1  did  not  succeed  in  carrying  it  out 
I  did  not  want  you  to  have  to  bear  any  of  the 
responsibility  of  its  failure." 

"  I  think  I  should  have  laughed  at  it ;  and 
I  can't  help  doing  so  now,"  added  Matt,  suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  words. 

With  the  whole  length  of  the  line  out,  the  Gild- 
rock  towed  better  than  Dory  had  expected  she 
would.  But  the  barge  both  pitched  and  rolled 
as  it  was  dragged  at  an  angle  over  the  waves,  and 
the  Topovers  in  her  had  to  hold  on  with  both 
hands.  With  only  half  her  usual  crew,  and  these 
all  in  the  stern  sheets,  the  tow-line  did  not  force 
her  bow  under,  and  she  kept  very  nearly  in  her 
proper  trim. 

Finding  that  she  went  along  very  well,  Dory 


158  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

headed  the  Goldvving  for  the  little  cove  from 
wtyich  the  cheers  had  come.  By  this  time  the 
Winooski  had  got  into  the  smooth  water,  compara- 
tively, under  the  lee  of  the  shore.  If  Commodore 
Tom  Topover  wanted  to  do  anything  to  assist  his 
companions  in  the  other  boat,  he  was  as  fearful  of 
coming  about  as  he  had  been  in  the  middle  of  the 
lake.  As  soon  as  he  was  under  the  shelter  of  the 
shore,  he  headed  his  craft  to  the  south.  But  he 
might  as  well  have  chased  the  lightning  as  the 
Goldwing. 

As  the  schooner  approached  the  mouth  of  the 
cove  she  was  saluted  by  a  volley  of  noisy  cheers. 
At  the  same  time  the  bows  of  'two  boats  came 
in  sight. 

"  The  Chesterfields  !  We  are  in  for  it  now  ! " 
shouted  Ben  Ludlow. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

COMMODORE    TOM    TOPOVER  VISITS    THE   GOLDWING. 

r  I  ^HE  cheers  the  Beech  Hill  students  had  heard 
before  had  evidently  been  given  by  the  Ches- 
terfields, and  not  by  a  picnic  party.  Dory  was 
not  pleased  to  see  them  after  the  experience  of  the 
day  before  ;  and  their  last  words  had  been  threats 
of  vengeance.  The  fresh  paint  could  be  seen  on 
the  bow  of  the  Dasher  where  the  injury  done  by 
the  Winooski  had  been  repaired. 

The  Dasher  appeared  to  be  the  leading  boat, 
and  Mad  Twinker  had  changed  from  the  other 
barge,  and  became  her  coxswain.  Wash  Barker 
was  not  in  either  craft,  and  his  place  in  the  Racer 
was  filled  by  Jeff  Monroe,  who  had  been  active  in 
the  affair  of  the  day  before. 

As  soon  as  the  Gold  wing  appeared  off  the  point, 
dragging  the  Gildrock  after  her,  the  Chesterfields 
set  up  a  yell,  and  it  was  plain  that  they  identified 
the  Beech  Hill  students  who  had  so  thoroughly 
humiliated  them  on  the  day  before.  Their  lusty 

159 


160  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

cheers  indicated  that  they  were  ready  to  take  the 
vengeance  they  had  promised  to  obtain.  Mad 
T winker  headed  the  Dasher  for  the  Goldwing,  and 
the  Racer  followed. 

It  seemed  to  be  a  holiday  at  the  Chesterfield 
Collegiate  Institute,  and  the  boats'  crews  had  evi- 
dently been  practising  in  the  cove  all  the  morning. 
There  was  a  marked  improvement  in  their  rowing  ; 
they  had  observed  the  excellent  discipline  that 
prevailed  on  board  of  the  Winooski,  and  they  had 
doubtless  learned  a  lesson  from  what  they  had 
seen.  After  the  Chesterfields  had  given  the  three 
cheers,  which  did  not  appear  to  mean  anything, 
unless  they  were  cheering  their  enemy,  there  was 
no  whooping  or  yelling  as  at  the  former  meeting 
of  the  boats. 

"Those  fellows  promised  to  get  even  with  us 
when  we  parted  last  night,"  said  Dory,  after  they 
had  observed  the  movements  of  the  Chesterfields 
for  a  few  minutes.  "I  suppose  they  are  ready  to 
begin  now." 

"If  they  do  begin  now  they  will  have  a  nice 
time  of  it,"  added  Matt. 

"  They  will  never  forgive  us  for  compelling  them 
to  give  up  our  clothes  before  they  were  read}'  to 
do  so,"  continued  the  skipper.  "  They  are  in 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  161 

better  discipline,  and  behave  better  this  morning 
than  they  did  yesterday.  But  they  don't  seeni  to 
know  anything  at  all  about  a  boat,  and  they  think 
they  can  overhaul  the  Goldwing  without  any  dif- 
ficulty." 

"  If  we  run  up  this  cove  they  will  have  us  on 
the  hips,"  replied  Matt.  "  There  are  twenty-six 
of  them,  while  we  are  only  nine,  and  if  they  catch 
us  they  can  have  it  all  their  own  way." 

"You  are  right,  Matt,  and  we  will  not  go  up 
the  cove.  We  will  go  up  to  Rock  Harbor,  and 
we  can  land  the  Topovers  long  before  they  can 
pull  that  distance." 

The  skipper  let  off  the  sheets,  and  headed  the 
schooner  to  the  south.  She  was  almost  before 
the  wind,  and  the  yacht  flew  like  a  locomotive  on 
her  course.  In  a  few  minutes  the  barges  were  a 
mile  astern  of  her.  At  the  mouth  of  Rock  Harbor 
the  wind  had  a  fair  sweep,  and  the  sea  was  almost 
as  rough  as  it  had  been  in  the  middle  of  the  lake. 

As  the  Goldwing  approached  the  south  side  of 
the  inlet,  Dory  rounded  to  very  carefully,  so  as 
not  to  swamp  the  Gildrock,  though  the  terrfied 
Topovers  were  well  shaken  up  in  the  manoeuvre. 
Running  into  the  cove  just  far  enough  to  escape 
the  heaviest  of  the  waves,  Dory  directed  his  crew 


162  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

to  haul  on  the  tow-line,  and  bring  the  Gildrock 
within  talking  distance.  Spilling  the  sail,  he 
allowed  the  yacht  to  drift  towards  the  shore. 

"  We  intend  to  put  you  on  shore  here,"  shouted 
Dory  to  the  occupants  of  the  Gildrock. 

"We  can  never  get  home  from  here,"  yelled 
Nim  Splugger. 

"  That 's  your  look  out.  You  must  go  ashore, 
or  we  will  spill  you  all  out  into  the  water  by  the 
beach,"  replied  the  skipper. 

Nim  made  no  reply,  for  he  saw  that  his  captors 
were  in  earnest.  Dory  directed  Matt  and  Oscar 
to  land  them  three  or  four  at  a  time  in  the  tender. 
He  explained  what  he  meant  to  do  to  the  priso- 
ners, and  threatened  them  with  a  ducking  if  they 
resisted.  They  did  not  resist,  for  they  felt  that 
the  skipper  could  have  his  own  way  with  them. 
Matt  landed  them  in  two  trips  ;  but  Nim  Splugger 
showed  fight  when  they  were  all  on  the  beach. 
He  attempted  to  hold  on  to  the  tender,  but  Oscar 
pitched  him  out  of  the  boat  into  the  water.  The 
moment  he  was  out  of  it,  Matt  shoved  it  from  the 
shore,  and  they  pulled  back  to  the  Goldwing. 

It  had  taken  some  time  to  land  the  Topovers, 
and  by  the  time  the  Gildrock  had  been  properly 
rigged  for  towing,  the  two  barges  of  the  Chester- 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  163 

fields,  which  had  followed  the  schooner,  were 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  point  where  the 
marauders  had  been  put  on  shore.  They  made  a 
sweep  into  the  harbor,  so  as  to  avoid  the  rough 
water. 

"Help!  help!"  yelled  the  Topovers  on  the 
land, .when  they  saw  the  barges  approaching  them. 

It  was  not  probable  that  the  Chesterfields  knew 
anything  about  the  Topovers ;  but  they  could  not 
help  seeing  that  they  had  been  at  war  with  the 
Beach  Hill  students,  and  had  been  defeated.  For 
this  reason,  doubtless  they  sympathized  with  the 
ruffians  ;  at  any  rate  they  were  the  enemies  of  the 
Beech  Hillcrs,  and  this  fact  made  them  allies. 

Dory  headed  the  Goldvving  out  into  the  lake. 
The  skipper  and  the  crew  watched  the  movements 
of  the  Chesterfields  with  interest.  Possibly  the 
curiosity  of  the  latter  was  excited  by  the  scene 
they  had  witnessed,  and  they  wished  to  inquire 
into  its  meaning.  At  any  rate  they  pulled  for  the 
point  where  the  Topovers  had  been  landed,  and 
the  heavy  sea  prevented  them  from  following  the 
schooner  out  into  the  lake. 

The  Chesterfield  barges  made  a  landing  farther 
up  the  harbor,  and  three  of  the  marauders  were 
taken  into  one  boat,  and  four  into  the  other. 


164  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

They  did  not  remain  at  the  shore  a  moment  after 
they  had  picked  up  their  passengers,  but  followed 
the  yacht  by  the  inside  route.  The  crews  of  the 
Dasher  and  Eacer  had  not  seen  the  capture  of  the 
Gildrock  with  the  lasso,  and  could  not  have  known 
that  the  Winooski  was  making  for  the  New  York 
shore,  a  mile  or  more  to  the  north  of  them.  Their 
passengers  told  them  their  story,  and  no  doubt 
they  were  anxious  to  see  the  battle  for  the  other 
boat,  if  not  to  take  a  hand  in  it. 

The  presence  of  the  Chesterfields  had  consid- 
erably disturbed  the  arrangements  of  Dory,  who 
had  intended  to  tackle  the  marauders  in  the  other 
barge  as  soon  as  he  could  get  rid  of  the  prisoners. 
It  had  taken  some  time  to  dispose  of  them,  and  it 
was  possible  that  Tom  Topover  had  reached  the 
shore  by  this  time. 

"There  are  the  two  four-oar  boats,"  said  Matt, 
when  they  were  off  the  point  north  of  Eock 
Harbor. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  them,  for  the  coming  of  the 
Chesterfields  at  just  this  time  has  mixed  things," 
replied  Dory.  "  We  must  get  rid  of  the  Gild- 
rock,  for  we  can't  do  anything  dragging  her  after 
us.  We  may  have  a  lively  time  of  it  yet." 

"We  can't  turn  her  adrift,"  added  Matt. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  165 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  we  can  put  four  of  our 
fellows  into  her  and  send  her  home,"  said  Dory. 

It  was  promptly  decided  to  dispose  of  her  in 
this  manner,  and  Dory  selected  the  three  members 
of  the  old  Gold  wing  club  who  were  on  board, 
making  Thad  Glovering  the  temporary  coxswain. 
Ben  Ludlow  was  added  to  the  number.  They 
objected  to  leaving  the  Goldwing  just  as  the  battle 
was  coming  on. 

"There  will  be  no  fight  if  I  can  avoid  one," 
argued  the  skipper.  "  Probably  we  shall  pick  up 
the  Winooski  in  about  the  same  way  we  did  the 
Gildrock.  You  need  not  hurry  home,  and  you 
can  see  from  the  boat  all  there  is  to  be  seen .  But 
we  must  be  in  a  hurry,  for  the  job  must  be  done 
before  the  Chesterfields  can  get  down  here  to 
meddle  with  the  affair." 

The  objections  were  overcome,  and  the  four 
oarsmen  were  to  take  the  Gildrock  as  soon  as  the 
Winooski  could  be  seen.  Tom  Topover  had  got 
his  craft  into  the  smooth  water,  as  compared  with 
the  open  lake,  of  one  of  the  numerous  inlets 
when  the  Gildrock  was  captured.  When  last 
seen,  his  crew  were  laying  on  their  oars  watching 
the  operations  of  the  Goldwing. 

The  schooner  was  now  approaching  this  inlet, 


166  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

and  the  next  minute  or  two  would  inform  the 
skipper  where  she  was.  About  half  an  hour  had 
elapsed  since  she  lost  her  consort.  Tom  Topover 
might  have  gone  to  the  aid  of  the  rest  of  his 
party,  and  it  was -strange  that  he  had  not  done  so. 
The  fact  was  that  he  had  been  jawing  with  Kidd 
Digfield  more  than  half  the  time  in  regard  to  what 
they  should  do.  The  crew  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  going  out  into  the  rough  water  again. 

CJ  C--  O  C* 

"There's  the  Winooski !  "  shouted  Thad  Glov- 
ering,  who  was  lying  on  the  half  deck  at  the  heel 
of  the  bowsprit. 

Dory  instantly  threw  the  schooner  up  into  the 
wind,  and  Matt  hauled  in  the  Gildrock.  Thad 
and  his  crew  were  hurried  into  her,  and  the  Gold- 
wing  filled  away  again.  The  Winooski  was  com- 
ing out  of  the  cove,  and  was  just  striking  into 
the  rough  water.  Dory  gave  the  tiller  to  Matt, 
and  went  forward  himself.  He  had  the  lasso 
ready,  but  he  had  his  doubts  about  being  able  to 
use  it  again. 

The  skipper  directed  Matt  to  tack  at  the  proper 
moment,  and  the  Goldwing  rushed  on  her  course 
in  a  direction  to  intercept  the  Winooski.  When 
Tom  Topover  saw  the  schooner  approaching, 
he  called  Kidd  Digfield  to  the  tiller-lines,  and, 


"  Tom  Topover  suddenly  felt  a  smart  jerk,  which  was  irresistible. 
Page  168. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  167 

taking  a  boathook  in  his  hand,  went  forward 
himself. 

"  That  fellow  means  tight,"  said  Oscar  Chester. 

"No  doubt  of  it;  he  means  it  every  time,  and 
for  that  reason  you  had  better  have  a  boathook  in 
your  hand,  and  be  on  the  forward  deck  with  me," 
answered-Dory,  as  he  picked  up  his  lasso.  "  Keep 
her  off  a  little  more,  if  you  please,  Matt." 

The  oarsmen  of  the  Winooski  showed  a  disposi- 
tion to  abandon  their  oars,  for  a  collision  seemed 
to  be  inevitable  to  them.  Tom  stood  in  the  bow 
of  the  barge  with  his  boathook  poised  ready  to 
strike.  Dory  saw  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
him  to  lasso  the  boat,  and  he  removed  the  stove 
cover  from  his  line. 

"Luff  a  little,  Matt,"  called  Dory;  and  the 
schooner  rounded  in  upon  the  barge.  This  move- 
ment seemed  to  be  too  much  for  Tom's  nerves, 
and  instead  of  striking  with  the  boathook,  he  used 
it  to  fend  off.  The  moment  he  bent  over,  Dory 
threw  his  line,  not  at  the  stem  of  the  boat,  but  at 
the  body  of  the  Topover.  The  noose  went  over 
his  head,  and  dropped  down  upon  his  shoulders. 

"Keep  her  off!  "  shouted  Dory. 

The  instant  Torn  felt  the  rope,  he  dropped  the 
boathook  and  tried  to  seize  hold  of  the  bow  of 


168  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

the  barge.  The  Goldwing  fell  off,  and  dashed 
ahead  on  her  course.  Dory  let  off  his  line  a  feu- 
feet,  and  then  took  a  turn  with  it  over  a  cleat. 
Tom  Topover  suddenly  felt  a  smart  jerk,  which 
was  irresistible,  and  he  was  twitched  out  of  the 
boat  as  a  fish  is  twitched  out  of  the  water. 

With  Oscar's  help,  he  was  dragged  alongside, 
and  pulled  on  board  of  the  yacht.  It  was  found 
that  he  had  the  painter  of  the  Winooski  in  his 
hands,  which  he  had  grasped  in  his  effort  to  save 
himself.  Matt  had  thrown  the  schooner  up  into 
the  wind,  and  the  painter  was  secured  and  made 
fast.  The  Winooski  brought  up  at  the  stern  of 
the  Goldwing,  captured  by  the  aid  of  Tom  Top- 
over. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    CHESTERFIELDS    AND     THEIR     ALLIES     RENEW 
THE    BATTLE. 

/COMMODORE  TOPOVER  was  bewildered 
^-^  by  the  sharp  practice  of  the  skipper  of  the 
Goldwing.  While  he  was  expecting  an  assault  in 
another  direction,  he  had  been  suddenly  dragged 
out  of  the  Winooski  into  the  water,  and  then  on 
board  of  the  schooner.  The  painter  of  the  barge 
was  made  fast  astern,  and  Dory  relieved  the 
prisoner  from  the  noose  with  which  he  had  been 
captured. 

Kidd  Digfield  and  his  companions  in  the  boat 
seemed  to  be  almost  as  much  astonished  as  the 
commodore.  They  were  paralyzed  by  the  unex- 
pected onslaught,  and  the  successor  of  Tom  needed 
a  little  time  to  enable  him  to  determine  what  to  do. 
Both  craft  had  come  to  a  standstill,  the  sails  of 
the  Gold  wing  shaking  in  the  wind. 

Tom  Topover  was  the  first  to  recover  his  wits. 
He  had  been  thoroughly  ducked,  but  he  had  not 
been  injured  in  the  operation  of  taking  him  out  of 

169 


170  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES; 

the  Winooski.  He  looked  about  him,  and  it  did 
not  require  much  time  to  enable  him  to  take  iu  the 
situation.  He  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the 
students.  He  was  in  the  same  boat  with  Dory, 
who  had  knocked  him  over  with  a  single  blow  of 
his  fist ;  and  the  remembrance  of  this  fact  was  the 
first  idea  that  came  to  him. 

Before  Kidd  had  decided  to  do  anything  the 
wind  had  driven  the  barge  astern  of  the  schooner, 
and  whirled  her  about.  In  this  position  there  were 
only  two  things  Tom's  successor  could  do  ;  one  \vas 
to  haul  the  boat  alongside  the  yacht  by  the  painter, 
board  her,  and  fight  it  out ;  and  the  other  was  to 
cut  the  painter,  and  thus  recover  possession  of  the 
barge.  But  Tom  Topover  considered  himself  as 
still  the  commodore  of  the  fleet,  even  in  the  mis- 
fortunes which  had  befallen  it,  and  he  proceeded  to 
use  his  authority. 

"  Kidd  Digfield ! "  called  Tom,  as  soon  as  he 
comprehended  the  situation.  "  Haul  in  on  the 
painter,  and  fetch  her  alongside  !  " 

"  1  think  your  fellows  had  better  not  try  to  do 
that,"  interposed  Dory. 

"  I  give  you  two  minutes  to  put  me  back  in  that 
boat,"  replied  Tom,  with  a  savage  glance  at  the 
skipper. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  171 

"  What  if  I  don't  do  it  ?  "  asked  Dory,  laughing. 

"I'll  give  you  the  biggest  licking  you  ever  had 
in  your  life.  I'll  pound  you  till  you  can't  see  out 
of  your  eyes,"  blustered  Tom. 

"  You  need  n't  wait  two  minutes  before  you 
begin,  for  I  shall  not  put  you  into  the  boat," 
replied  the  skipper  lightly.  "  Fill  away,  Matt,  if 
you  please." 

Dory  had  seated  himself  in  the  standing-room 
opposite  the  place  where  he  had  deposited  Tom 
when  he  hauled  him  on  board.  As  Matt  put  the 
helm  up,  Tom  made  a  spring  at  the  skipper ;  but 
Dory  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  warded  off  the 
blow  of  the  Topover,  and  hit  him  square  in  the 
face.  The  yacht  heeled  over  at  this  moment 
under  the  pressure  of  the  wind,  and  Tom  fell 
back  into  his  seat. 

"  We  won't  have  any  fight  in  the  boat,"  said 
Dory,  picking  up  a  reef  pendant.  "  We  wrill  tie 
his  hands  behind  him,  and  keep  him  quiet  till 
we  get  rid  of  him." 

"  No  you  won't  tie  my  hands  behind  me  !  "  j'elled 
Tom,  bailing  over  with  wrath. 

Oscar  Chester  sprang  upon  him,  and  in  spito 
of  his  struggles  bore  him  down  upon  his 
back.  Dory  then  assisted  him,  and  between  them 


172  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

they  had  no  difficulty  in  putting  the  commodore  in 
a  position  of  non-interference. 

"  The  fellows  in  the  boat  are  hauling  in  on 
the  painter,"  said  Matt,  when  Dory  and  Oscar  had 
disposed  of  the  obstreperous  prisoner. 

"  Let  them  haul  on  it,"  replied  the  skipper 
laughing.  "  They  will  have  a  nice  time  of  it. 
Keep  her  away  a  little  more,  if  you  please." 

Kidd  had  got  hold  of  the  painter,  and  Pell 
Sankland  was  trying  to  help  him  ;  but  the  former 
could  not  haul  in  enough  of  the  line  to  .afford  him 
a  chance  to  assist.  The  schooner  had  got  under 
full  headway,  and  there  was  considerable  strain  on 
the  rope.  Three  of  the  Topovers  had  repaired  to 
the  bow  while  the  other  three  were  about  in  the 
middle  of  the  barge.  She  was  loaded  by  the  head, 
and  as  soon  as  the  Goldwing  began  to  force 
her  through  the  water  at  her  own  pace,  the  craft 
scooped  up  about  half  a  barrel  of  water. 

Kidd  was  sailor  enough  to  see  what  the  matter 
was,  and  he  hastily  retreated  to  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  followed  by  his  companions.  Not  more  than 
one  of  them  at  a  time  could  get  hold  of  the 
painter,  and  there  was  no  danger  that  the  ma- 
rauders would  haul  the  boat  alongside  the  schooner. 
But  Kidd  soon  went  forward  a«rain,  after  he 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  173 

had  stationed  his  crew  as  far  aft  as  he  could 
get  them,  and  began  to  saw  away  with  his  knife  at 
the  painter. 

Matt  let  off  the  sheets,  and  kept  the  Goldwing 
away  several  points  at  once.  As  he  did  so,  Dory 
slacked  off  the  painter  as  much  as  its  length  would 
permit.  When  the  schooner  straightened  the  line 
again,  she  did  it  with  a  violent  jerk,  at  an  angle 
with  the  length  of  the  barge.  The  effect  was  to 
tip  the  boat  until  her  gunwale  at  the  bow  went 
under,  and  she  shipped  another  half  barrel  of 
water. 

Kidd's  nei'ves  were  not  strong  enough  to  stand 
this  kind  of  treatment,  and  he  dreaded  what  might 
come  next.  He  retreated  to  the  stern ;  but  not 
till  he  had  found  that  it  would  have  taken  him 
half  an  hour  at  least  to  saw  off  the  painter  with  his 
dull  jack-knife.  He  realized  that  there  was 
nothing  more  he  could  do. 

The  four-oar  boats  were  now  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  scene  of  the  strife.  The  crews  had  laid 
upon  their  oars  most  of  the  time,  watching  the 
progress  of  the  action.  The  Winooski  had  been 
taken,  and  the  battle  was  finished.  It  only  re- 
mained to  dispose  of  the  prisoners.  Dory  had 
given  the  order  to  head  the  schooner  to  the  nearest 


174  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

land.  The  four-oar  boats  reached  the  point  oft' 
which  the  yacht  had  just  couie  up  into  the  wind. 
Tom  was  handed  into  the  boat  with  Mr.  Jepson, 
who  was  greatly  amused  at  the  exploits  of  the 
boys.  He  was  put  ashore,  but  the  reef  pendant 
was  removed  from  his  arms  only  when  he  was  safe 
on  the  beach. 

The  tender  and  the  other  four-oar  boat  landed 
the  prisoners  from  the  Winooski,  who  had  con- 
cluded not  to  make  any  resistance.  As  the  boats 
left  the  discomfited  ruffians  on  the  shore,  Tom 
cast  a  large  stone  at  one  of  them,  and  the  rest 
proceeded  to  follow  his  example.  But  no  harm 
was  done,  and  the  boats  were  soon  out  of  the  way 
of  their  missiles. 

"  Homeward  bound  !  "  shouted  Dory,  as  soon  as 
he  had  taken  his  crew  from  the  tender  on  board. 

Two  oarsmen  were  taken  from  each  of  the  small 
boats,  for  the  remaining  two  could  easily  pull 
them  across  the  lake  with  the  wind,  and  transferred 
to  the  Winooski.  Thad  Glovering  in  the  Gild- 
rock  was  close  by,  for  his  party  had  no  idea  of 
leaving  the  scene  while  there  was  any  fun  in 
prospect.  The  whole  squadron,  consisting  of  the 
Gold  wing  and  the  four  row-boats,  wrere  within 
talking  distance  of  each  other.  The  battle  had 


OR,  BUILDING  THE   HOUSE.  175 

been  fought  and  won,  and  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  go  home.  The  Gildrock  was  farthest  out  in 
the  lake,  and  she  led  the  way.  All  the  fleet  were 

in  the  smoother  water  of  the  cove. 

/ 

"  The  Chesterfields  !  "  shouted  Oscar  Chester, 
when  the  Goldwing  was  fairly  under  way.  "  They 
are  just  coming  around  the  point ;  and  they  have 
half  the  Topovers  on  board." 

"  We  need  not  bother  our  heads  any  more 
about  the  Chesterfields  or  the  Topovers,"  replied 
Doiy.  "  We  have  got  our  boats,  and  that  was  all 
I  wanted." 

"  All  right,"  added  Oscar,  as  he  settled  himself 
in  his  seat. 

But  the  skipper  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  not  all  right.  The  Chesterfield  barges  had 
changed  their  course,  and  were  headed  for  the  four 
Beech  Hill  boats  which  had  just  started  for  home. 
The  Dasher  and  the  Racer  were  fully  manned, 
while  the  Gildrock  and  Winooski  had  each  only 
one-third  of  a  crew. 

• 

"  That 's  bad,"  said  Dory,  who  began  to  be  very 
anxious  for  the  safety  of  the  recaptured  barges. 

"  I  thought  it  might  be,"  replied  Oscar.  "  But 
I  think  we  can  give  them  enough  of  it  to  satisfy 
them  in  a  very  few  minutes." 


176  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES; 

"  Do  you  mean  a  fight?"  asked  the  skipper. 

"  Not  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  but  if  either  of  those 
barges  attempts  to  meddle  with  the  Gildrock  01 
the  Winooski,  I  should  run  her  down,"  answered 
Oscar,  with  a  good  deal  of  vim  in  his  tones. 

"I  don't  like  to  do  anything  of  that  kind,"  re- 
plied Dory,  seriously.  rt  When  we  smashed  the 
Dasher  yesterday,  I  did  not  intend  to  give  her 
such  a  rap." 

"  I  should  say  it  would  be  for  the  Chesterfields 
and  their  new  allies  to  elect  whether  you  smash 
them  or  not.  But  they  are  making  for  the  Gild- 
rock,  and  of  course  they  can  easily  take  her  from 
the  four  fellows  in  charge  of  her." 

"  Of  course  I  don't  mean  to  let  them  take 
her  from  our  fellows,"  added  Dory.  "  Keep  her 
away ;  run  for  the  Gildrock,  if  you  please,  Matt." 

Thad  G levering  pulled  the  stroke  oar  of  the 
Gildrock,  and  he  had  already  discovered  the  dan- 
ger that  menaced  him  in  the  approach  of  the 
Chesterfield  barges.  He  was  making  his  crew  do 
their  utmost ;  but  the  barge  had  been  headed  oft* 
by  the  enemy,  who  were  not  seen  until  they  came 
around  the  point  of  land. 

The  improvement  in  the  rowing  of  the  Chester- 
fields was  now  very  manifest.  They  had  evidently 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  177 

being  practising  since  they  obtained  their  smashed 
barge  from  the  builder  who  had  repaired  it,  and  it 
was  just  as  plain  that  they  had  adopted  the  stroke 
of  the  Beech  Hill  barges. 

"  The  Topovers  are  helping  them,"  said  Oscar, 
who  watched  the  Dasher  with  the  closest  at- 
tention. 

"  I  see  they  are,"  replied  Dory ;  "  and  they  are 
making  very  good  headway." 

A  Topover  had  been  placed  on  the  thwart  with 
each  student  as  far  as  their  number  would  permit. 
Mad  Twinker  was  in  charge  of  the  head  boat,  and 
he  was  driving  his  crew  to  the  limit  of  their  power. 
But  the  Goldwing,  even  in  the  lighter  wind  near 
the  weather  shore,  could  make  two  miles  to  the 
Dasher's  one.  Matt  was  directed  to  run  close  to 
the  quarter  of  the  Gildrock ;  and  the  schooner 
came  up  with  her  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for 
in  spite  of  Thad's  best  efforts,  the  Dasher  was  all 
ready  to  pounce  upon  her  intended  victim.  The 
Racer  had  continued  on  her  former  course,  and 
was  making  for  the  Winooski.  It  was  clear  that 
they  intended  to  capture  both  boats.  When  they 
had  done  this  probably  the  Chesterfields  would  be 
satisfied  that  they  had  got  even  with  the  Beech- 
Hillers  for  the  humiliation  of  the  day  before. 


178  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

The  Goldwing  was  almost  before  the  wind,  and 
she  was  surging  down  upon  the  Dasher  with 
tremendous  speed  and  power.  The  Chesterfields 
did  not  look  behind  them,  and  they  could  not 
have  failed  to  take  notice  of  the  Winooski's  drill 
on  the  preceding  day.  Mad  Twinker  had  no  little 
nerve,  but  he  was  appalled  at  the  rushing,  surging, 
roaring  approach  of  the  Goldwing. 

"  Sheer  off,  or  I  shall  run  into  you ! "  shouted 
Dory,  on  the  half  deck  of  the  schooner.  "  If  you 
meddle  with  the  Gildrock  I  '11  smash  your  boat." 

Mad  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  he  let  go  one 
tiller  line,  and  pulled  on  the  other  with  all  his 
miffht.  The  Dasher  whirled  around  in  obedience 

C 

to  her  helm.  The  Goldwing  came  about ;  Dory 
hove  his  long  line  to  the  Gildrock,  and  she 
was  dragged  out  into  the  rough  sea,  out  of  the 
way  of  her  assailant..  But  the  Winooski  was  by 
this  time  in  the  same  peril,  and  the  schooner 
hastened  to  her  assistance. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DORY   DORNWOOD   DEALS   IN   MORAL   COURAGE. 

"TTTASH  BARKER,  the  former  coxswain  of  the 
Racer,  had  resigned  his  office  partly  because 
he  declined  to  adopt  a  policy  as  vigorous  as  his  fol- 
lowers desired.  Probably  his  successor  possessed 
the  qualities  which  Wash  lacked.  Jeff  Monroe 
had  seen  the  Dasher  cheated  out  of  her  prey,  as 
he  regarded  it,  and  he  knew  he  was  sure  to  be 
condemned  by  his  associates  if  he  failed  to  capture 
the  Winooski. 

Nim  Splugger  was  in  the  barge  with  him,  and 
this  worthy  assured  the  coxswain  that  Dory  would 
not  dare  to  run  into  him.  It  was  all  bully  in  his 
opinion.  The  crew  expressed  their  disapprobation 
in  very  emphatic  terms  at  the  weakness  of  Mad 
Twinker  in  allowing  himself  to  be  cheated  out  of 
his  game. 

The  Goldwing  had  been  obliged  to  beat  up  to 
the  position  of  the  Winooski,  and  her  approach 
was  not  so  appalling  as  when  she  neared  the 
Dasher.  But  she  had  gone  well  to  windward  so 

179 


180  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

as  to  get  a  good  full,  and  she  was  making  at  least 
eight  knots  when  she  came  within  hailing  distance 
of  the  Racer.  Dory  gave  the  same  warning  as 
before,  and  repeated  it  several  times.  But  the 
Racer  did  not  budge.  Her  crew  were  all  ready 
to  leap  into  the  Winooski. 

Dory  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  smash  the 
Racer.  A  collision  would  certainly  accomplish 
her  destruction.  It  was  probable  that  the  Gold- 
wing  would  bear  the  barge  under  her  bottom, 
and  thus  go  over  her.  The  coxswain  and  all  his 
crew  were  very  ignorant  in  regard  to  the  manage- 
ment of  a  boat,  and  could  not  realize  the  peril  to 
which  they  were  exposing  themselves. 

Probably  most  of  the  crew  of  the  Racer  could 
not  swim,  and,  even  if  they  could,  some  of  them 
might  be  seriously  injured  if  the  schooner  went 
over  the  barge.  There  was  more  than  a  possibility 
that  one  or  more  lives  might  be  lost  in  the  en- 
counter. The  skipper  of  the  Goldwing  shuddered 
when  he  thought  of  such  a  catastrophe.  At  the 
worst,  the  Chesterfields  could  only  capture  the 
Winooski ;  and  that  would  not  kill  or  hurt  any- 
one. It  was  not  a  case  of  life  and  death  ;  in  fact 
it  was  nothing  more  than  a  frolic  on  the  part  of 
the  Chesterfields. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  181 

In  another  instant  the  Goldwing  would  strike 
the  Racer,  and  the  calamity  the  skipper  dreaded 
must  come,  either  in  whole  or  in  part.  If  he 
"backed  down,"  Oscar  would  laugh  at  him,  and 
his  other  companions  would  rail  at  him  for  timidi- 
ty. But  Dory  had  the  moral  courage  to  brave 
any  censure  or  sarcasm  rather  than  expose  the 
lives  of  the  enemy. 

"  Down  with  the  helm,  Matt !  "  shouted  he  with 
startling  energy. 

Matt  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  sails  of  the 
schooner  shook  in  the  wind. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for,  Dory?"  demanded 
Oscar  Chester,  utterly  disgusted  at  the  backing 
down  of  the  skipper. 

But  there  was  no  time  to  answer  the  question. 
Instead  of  striking  the  Racer,  the  Goldwing  was 
struck  by  the  _  barge  on  her  broadside.  But 
the  blow  came  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five 
degrees,  and  the  stem  slid  off  by  the  stern.  Still 
it  was  a  hard  rap-,  and  the  yacht  shook  under  its 
force.  Doubtless  her  side  was  dented  and  scraped, 
but  she  sustained  no  injury  of  any  consequence. 

"Keep  your  places,  fellows!"  yelled  Jeff 
Monroe,  as  the  rowers  began  to  stand  up  and 
think  how  they  should  save  themselves,  for  they 


182  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

thought  the  barge  was  smashed  in  the  collision. 
"  We  are  all  right !  Keep  your  places  !  " 

The  Racer  was  not  injured,  but  she  was  thrown 
from  her  course,  and  brought  up  with  her  stern 
alongside  the  schooner.  Two  of  her  spoon  oars 
were  broken,  and  two  more  of  them  lost  over- 
board, for  all  the  starboard  oars  had  been  swept 
from  the  rowlocks  by  the  contact  with  the  yacht. 
The  crew  were  in  utter  confusion,  for  their  dis- 
cipline was  not  proof  against  such  a  scene  as  that 
which  had  just  transpired. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  drown  us  all  ?  "  demanded  Jeff. 
ft  You  have  made  a  pretty  mess  of  it." 

"You  act  as  though  you  intended  to  drown 
yourself  and  your  crew,"  replied  Dory,  as  he 
directed  Matt  to  fill  away  again. 

"  We  shall  get  even  with  you  yet !  "  retorted 
Jeff  angrily. 

The  barge  had  come  about,  so  that  she  was  now 
in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  though  the  waves  were 
not  heavy ;  but  the  motion  served  to  increase  the 
confusion  on  board  of  her.  The  crew  obeyed 
the  order  of  the  coxswain  to  keep  their  seats  for  the 
simple  reason  that  they  could  not  stand  up  in 
the  rolling  craft.  In  a  few  minutes  Jeff  had 
brought  something  like  order  out  of  the  snarl. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  183 

The  discipline  on  board  proved  to  be  not  more 
than  skin  deep,  for  about  every  one  of  the  crew 
had  something  to  say,  and  a  general  jaw  ensued. 
Some  of  them  blamed  and  scolded  their  coxswain, 
and  hard  words  were  used  before  the  Goldwing 
was  out  of  hearing  distance.  The  first  business, 
when  the  grumblers  had  "  talked  out,"  was  to  pick 
up  the  oars  and  the  pieces  ;  and,  by  the  time  this 
was  done,  the  Winooski  was  out  in  the  heaviest 
of  the  sea.  The  Goldwing  stood  off  and  on  be- 
tween the  fleet  she  was  protecting  and  the  barges 
of  the  Chesterfields.  The  Dasher  had  gone  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Racer. 

"What  under  the  canopy  made  you  back  down, 
Dory  ?  "  asked  Oscar,  in  a  more  gentlemanly  tone 
than  he  had  used  before  when  he  alluded  to  the 
subject. 

"If  one  of  those  fellows  had  been  drowned,  I 
should  not  have  forgiven  myself  to  my  dying 
day,"  replied  Dory. 

"There  was  no  danger  of  drowning  any  of 
them,"  added  Oscar. 

"I  don't  believe  many  of  them  can  swim,  and  I 
think  the  Goldwing  would  have  gone  over  the 
Racer.  Some  of  them  might  have  been  disabled, 
so  that  they  could  not  have  swum,  even  if  they  had 


184  SQUARE   AND   COMPASS  KS  ; 

known  how.  In  a  word  my  conscience  would  not 
let  me  run  into  the  barge  when  it  came  to  the 
scratch.  Though  we  may  look  upon  the  taking 
of  any  of  our  boats  as  a  serious  thing,  after  all 
it  was  only  a  frolic  on  the  part  of  the  Topovers 
and  the  Chesterfields.  I  could  not  risk  killing  or 
drowning  a  single  one  of  them.  That 's  the  whole 
of  it." 

"  It  would  not  have  been  your  fault  if  one  of 
them  had  been  drowned,  or  even  half  a  dozen  of 
them,"  replied  Oscar. 

"  I  think  it  would  have  been.  If  no  one  had 
been  drowned  or  hurt  in  the  collision,  some  people 
would  have  thought  we  were  smart.  If  a  single 
life  had  been  lost,  they  would  have  said  that  the 
affair  was  nothing  but  a  boys'  frolic,  and  that  we 
had  no  right  to  proceed  to  such  an  extreme 
measure  as  running  into  the  barge  half  a  mile 
from  the  shore,"  argued  Dory.  "  Those  fellows 
are  not  used  to  the  water,  and  half  a  dozen  of 
them  might  have  been  drowned.  I  am  perfectly 
satisfied  now  with  what  I  did." 

"  Though  I  was  as  much  carried  away  by  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  as  any  of  you,  and  was 
in  favor  of  running  into  the  barge,  I  think  you 
did  just  right,  Dory,"  added  Matt  Randolph,  con- 
vinced by  the  skipper's  logic. 


OK,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  185 

"  On  cool  second  thought,  I  am  willing  (,o  admit 
that  Dory  was  right,"  said  Oscar,  as  he  glanced  at 
the  Chesterfield  fleet.  "  We  saved  the  Winooski 
after  all,  and  that  was  what  we  were  fighting  for." 

"Those  fellows  have  had  enough  of  it  for  the 
present,"  chuckled  Matt.  "  They  are  pulling  for 
the  point  where  we  landed  Tom  Topover,  and  very 
likely  they  are  going  to  pick  him  up." 

"But  we  have  no  further  business  over  here, 
and  we  will  go  home,"  said  Dory ;  and  Matt 
headed  the  Goldwing  for  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"The  Chesterfields  will  never  be  content  to 
leave  things  as  they  are  now,"  suggested  Oscar. 
"  I  know  if  I  were  one  of  them  I  should  try  to 
get  even  with  you." 

"  By  and  by  they  will  learn  to  row  a  boat  in  a 
sea,  and  know  something  about  handling  their 
craft ;  and  then  they  will  make  a  visit  to  Beech 
Hill,"  added  Matt. 

"  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  take  care  of  our- 
selves," replied  Dory,  shrugging  his  shoulders  like 
a  Frenchman. 

"  It  looks  as  though  they  had  formed  an  alliance 
with  the  Topovers,  and  I  am  confident  that  Tom 
will  never  be  satisfied  until  he  has  had  a  fight  with 
Dory  and  been  thoroughly  whipped,"  prophesied 


186  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES; 

Oscar,  who  was  sure  that  the  skipper  could  do  it 
"every  time." 

With  the  fresh  breeze  the  four  row-boats  made 
good  time  across  the  lake,  and  were  going  into 
the  river  when  the  Goldwing  dashed  past  them. 
This  time  Matt  brought  the  schooner  up  to  the 
wharf  without  getting  aground;  but  at  the  V 
point,  Dory  gave  him  the  bearings  by  which  he 
steered  through  this  bad  place  with  the  current, 
and  was  confident  that  his  friend  would  never 
stick  there  again  when  he  had  any  kind  of  fair 
play. 

Captain  Gildrock,  with  the  instructors,  were  on 
the  wharf  when  the  Goldwing  arrived.  The  news 
of  the  taking  of  the  boats  by  the  Topovcrs  had 
been  circulated  in  the  town,  and  the  principal  was 
somewhat  disturbed  by  the  occurrence,  not  espe- 
cially by  the  stealing  of  the  barges,  but  more  by 
his  fears  of  what  might  result  from  a  battle  be- 
tween the  students  and  the  marauders.  When 
Bates,  who  had  learned  the  particulars  from  Mr. 
Jepson,  told  him  that  Dory  Dormvood  was  in 
command  of  the  expedition  which  had  gone  out  to 
recover  the  boats,  he  was  somewhat  relieved  of 
his  anxiety ;  for  he  had  a  great  deal  of  confidence 
in  the  skipper's  judgment  and  discretion,  though 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  187 

there  was  no  knowing  what  boys  would  do  when 
they  were  excited. 

"Where  are  the  boats,  Dornwood?"  asked 
Captain  Gildrock,  as  soon  as  the  party  landed. 

"  They  are  coming  up  the  river,  sir,"  replied 
Dory. 

"And  where  are  Tom  Topover  and  his  gang?" 

"We  left  them  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake." 
Dory  proceeded,  without  any  further  questions, 
to  make  his  report  of  the  taking  of  the  barges, 
and  the  means  by  which  he  had  recovered  posses- 
sion of  them.  He  stated  the  facts  just  as  they 
were,  without  flourish  or  ornament,  even  to  the 
intention  they  had  of  smashing  the  Racer  by  run- 
ning into  her. 

"  I  am  heartily  rejoiced  that  you  did  not  do 
anything  of  that  kind  !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Gild- 
rock,  with  a  considerable  show  of  emotion  for 
him.  "  Nothing  could  have  justified  you  in  resort- 
ing to  such  a  desperate  measure,  unless  it  was  to 
save  life  or  honor.  If  one  of  those  boys  had  lost 
his  life,  it  would  have  been  the  ruin  of  the  Beech 
Hill  Industrial  School ;  for  popular  opinion  would 
have  set  against  us,  and  we  could  not  have  stemmed 
the  tide." 


188  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES. 

"I  was  terribly  excited  when  I  thought  of  doing 
it,"  pleaded  Dory. 

"You  have  done  well,  my  lad;  you  have  be- 
haved splendidly  ;  but  the  biggest  and  -best  thing 
you  have  done  was  to  renounce  a  bad  intention," 
added  the  principal,  earnestly.  "I  cannot  look 
upon  this  affair  as  anything  more  than  a  boys' 
racket,  and  I  am  exceedingly  thankful  that  no 
catastrophe  has  come  out  of  it." 

"  Should  you  excuse  the  Topovers  for  stealing 
the  boat  on  the  ground  that  it  was  nothing  but  a 
racket,  a  frolic,  something  done  for  the  fun  of 
it  ?  "  asked  Matt  Randolph  very  seriously. 

"By  no  means;  I  would  prosecute  them  for 
stealing  the  boats  if  it  were  likely  to  result  in 
anything  but  a  fine  which  their  poor  parents  would 
have  to  pay,"  replied  the  captain.  "No  one 
should  do  wrong  for  the  fun  of  it;  but  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  exaggerating  a  serious  matter 
beyond  its  proper  proportions. 

The  arrival  of  the  boats  ended  the  conversation. 
Dinner  was  ready,  and  everything  proceeded  at 
the  institution  in  its  usual  order.  The  rebels  each 
dined  alone  in  his  room. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SOMETHING  MORE  ABOUT  THE  BEECH  HILL 
REBELLION. 

A  FTER  dinner  the  students  resumed  their 
study  of  the  plans  for  the  boat-house  and 
wharf.  Some  of  them  went  over  to  the  grove  in 
the  afternoon,  but  nothing  more  was  seen  of  the 
Topovers  that  day.  The  lake  was  too  rough  to 
admit  of  the  Chesterfields  bringing  them  over  in 
their  barges.  Probably  the  young  gentlemen  of 
the  Collegiate  Institute  got  enough  of  them  before 
night. 

The  next  morning  the  lake  was  smooth,  and  the 
two  barges  brought  the  marauders  to  the  head  of 
Porter's  Bay.  Some  of  the  Beech  Hill  students 
were  in  the  grove  at  the  time,  for  it  was  a  quiet 
place  to  work  on  the  plans.  Bolly  Mill  weed 
spent  the  whole  day  there,  seated  on  the  shore 
where  he  could  see  the  whole  water  front  of  the 
>pposite  side  of  the  lake. 

The  other  students  were  not  so  deeply  absorbed 
in  their  study  of  architecture,  and  they  observed 

189 


190  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

with  interest  the  landing  of  the  Topovers.  The 
Chesterfields  appeared  to  be  on  excellent  terms 
with  their  allies,  and  quite  a  conference  took  place 
between  them  on  the  shore.  Doubtless  the  Beech 
Hill  students  were  the  subjects  of  the  conversation, 
for  the  Topovers  frequently  pointed  in  the  direction 
of  the  estate,  and  seemed  to  be  explaining  the 
nature  of  the  locality  to  their  patrons. 

Mad  Twinker  and  Jeff  Monroe  walked  up  the 
hill  to  the  centre  of  the  grove,  where  they  could 
see  Beech  Hill  Lake  and  the  school  buildings. 
But  the  visitors  soon  returned  to  the  other  side  of 
the  lake,  and  the  Topovers  went  to  their  homes. 
Most  of  the  latter  had  been  truants  from  school, 
and  very  likely  many  of  them  were  punished 
for  their  misconduct  either  by  their  parents  or 
their  teachers. 

Of  course  a  great  deal  was  said  by  the  students 
at  liberty  about  the  rebels ;  but  those  who  wore 
the  uniform  were  emphatic  in  their  condemnation 
of  those  who  refused  to  put  it  on.  The  rebels 
were  still  required  to  stay  in  their  rooms,  and 
their  meals  were  sent  in  to  them.  Each  of  them 
had  been  fitted  by  the  tailor,  and  had  taken  his 
uniform  to  his  own  apartment. 

The  principal  had  sent  word  to  them  that,  when 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  191 

they  desired  to  return  to  their  duties,  all  they 
hud  to  do  was  to  put  on  the  uniform  and  take 
their  places  with  their  schoolmates.  Although 
they  were  forbidden  to  communicate  with  one 
another  or  with  the  other  members  of  the  school, 
it  is  probable  that  each  one  knew  what  the  others 
were  doing. 

The  rebellion  had  not  worked  as  they  intended 
and  expected.  Lew  Shoreham  had  been  ap- 
pointed the  orator  of  the  malcontents,  and  the 
battle  was  to  be  fought  out  with  words  in  the 
schoolroom.  This  was  not  the  principal's  way  of 
dealing  with  such  cases.  He  gave  the  "  jingo  " 
element  no  chance  at  all. 

On  one  of  the  first  days  of  the  school  he  de- 
tected a  couple  of  students  in  the  act  of  enijaonnir 

A  O     O         c5 

in  a  tight.  Investigation  showed  that  there  was 
no  grievance  between  the  parties,  and  the  battle 
was  to  see  which  was  "  the  best  man."  He  locked 
them  both  up  in  the  machine  shop,  and  gave  them 
two  hours  to  ascertain  which  was  the  best  man. 
With  no  one  to  witness  the  encounter  they  did  not 
care  to  tight,  and  came  out  good  friends. 

The  rebels  could  not  help  feeling  that  their 
enterprise  had  already  "  come  to  grief."  Lew 
Shoreham's  argument  had  been  prepared,  but  it 


192  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  J 

was  unspoken,  and  was  likely  to  remain  so  while 
its  author  pined  in  the  solitude  of  his  chamber. 
The  malcontents  could  not  confer  together,  for 
Bates  would  not  allow  any  two  of  them  to  meet  in 
the  halls.  Bart  Cornwall  tried  to  talk  with  Lick 
Milton  in  the  next  room,  but  the  remorseless 
jailer  threatened  to  put  him  in  the  black  hole  if  he 
said  another  word ;  and  he  did  not. 

Each  rebel,  therefore,  was  compelled  to  think 
and  act  for  himself.  He  could  not  lean  on  his 
leader  or  his  companions.  Life  Windham  was 
one  of  the  most  restless  under  his  confinement. 
He  liked  to  know  what  was  going  on,  and  he 
found  himself  shut  out  from  the  world  and  all 
that  was  in  it.  The  principal  had  begun  his 
announcement  of  the  prizes  for  the  best  plans 
when  the  conspiracy  broke  out.  Life  concluded 
that  he  must  have  deferred  the  business  till  the  re- 
bellion was  disposed  of,  and  he  wondered  what  he 
had  said  to  the  rest  of  the  students  about  the 
refusal  to  wear  the  uniform. 

Life  fretted  and  worried  over  his  situation  until 
after  dinner  of  the  second  day.  Then  he  went  over 
the  whole  subject  of  the  uniform  in  his  own  mind. 
He  thought  he  was  abused  and  persecuted,  but  he 
could  stand  it  no  longer.  Impulsively  he  put  on 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  193 

the  uniform  which  hung  at  the  head  of  his  bed. 
It  was  a  good  fit  and  he  thought  he  looked  well  in 
it.  He  tried  on  the  cap  with  the  monogram  in 
front.  It  was  neat  and  plain,  and  the  only  ob- 
jection he  had  to  it  was  that  it  was  part  of  the 
uniform. 

He  was  so  anxious  to  learn  what  was  going  on 
at  the  school,  and  what  the  principal  had  said 
about  the  rebels  when  they  left,  that  he  went  out 
into  the  hall.  Bates  was  on  his  feet  the  instant  the 
door  was  opened.  The  old  man  smiled  when  he 
saw  that  Windham  wore  the  uniform,  and  as  the 
ex-rebel  passed  him,  he  saluted  him  as  politely  as 
though  he  had  never  been  his  prisoner. 

The  dormitory  was  located  near  the  rocks,  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  lake,  which  could  not  be 
seen  from  its  windows.  Life  Windham  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  the  stealing  of  the  boats  by 
the  Topovers,  and  the  lively  scenes  on  the  lake  in 
the  forenoon.  It  was  after  one  o'clock,  and  the 
students  ought  to  be  in  the  shops.  He  went  there, 
but  they  were  deserted. 

Life  concluded  that  the  principal  had  given  the 
rest  of  the  students  a  vacation  as  a  reward  of  merit 
for  not  joining  the  rebellion.  He  walked  to  the 
lake.  Seated  in  one  of  the  four-oar  boats,  busily 


194  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  J 

engaged  in  drawing  on  a  large  sheet  of  brown 
paper,  he  found  Dory.  As  stroke-oarsman  the 
ex-rebel  sat  next  to  the  coxswain  in  the  Winooski, 
and  he  was  more  intimate  with  him  than  with  any 
other  student.  When  Dory  saw  him  getting  into 
the  boat,  he  rolled  up  his  drawings,  and  put 
a  rubber  band  around  them. 

"  Hallo,  Dory  ! "  said  Life,  as  he  walked  aft  in 
the  boat. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Life,"  replied  the  coxswain. 
rt  You  look  well  in  the  new  uniform." 

"  I  could  n't  stay  in  my  room  any  longer,  but  I 
have  not  changed  my  opinion  in  regard  to  making 
us  wear  a  uniform,"  added  Life,  who  could  not 
even  now  back  wholly  down.  "  But  what  are  you 
doing?  Why  are  the  fellows  not  in  the  shops?" 

"  One  question  at  a  time.  I  am  trying  to  make 
a  plan  for  a  boat-house.  The  principal  gave  the 
students  three  days  to  get  up  their  plans,  and  they 
are  to  be  handed  in  day  after  to-morrow  morn- 

ing." 

"  Did  the  principal  offer  the  prizes  ? "  asked 
Life,  astonished  that  it  had  been  done  in  the 
absence  of  the  rebels. 

"  Of  course  he  did ;  he  had  opened  the  subject 
before  you  left  the  schoolroom." 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  195 

"  But  I  thought  ho  would  put  it  off  after  one 
third  of  the  whole  school  had  left." 

"  He  don't  do  things  in  that  way,"  added  Dory. 

"  But  what  are  the  conditions  ?  Perhaps  I  am 
not  too  late,  for  I  had  some  ideas  about  a  plan." 

"  We  are  not  allowed  to  speak  to  anyone  about 
the  plans,"  answered  Dory.  "  Every  fellow  is 
put  on  his  honor  to  say  nothing  to  anyone  about 
them." 

"  Then  the  eight  fellows  that  object  to  being 
dressed  like  monkeys  are  to  be  shut  out  from  the 
competition  !  "  exclaimed  Life  indignantly.  "  That 
is  about  as  unfair  as  anything  can  be." 

"  You  had  the  same  chance  that  the  rest  of  us 
had,  and  you  chose  to  stay  in  your  room  rather 
than  hear  the  terms  on  which  the  prizes  were 
to  be  given." 

'*  We  were  standing  up  for  a  principle." 

"Whew!"  whistled  Dory  laughing.  "The 
principle  that  you  won't  wear  the  colors  of  the 
Beech  Hill  Industrial  School." 

"  The  principle  that  we  won't  be  punished  for 
the  sins  of  others,"  retorted  Life  smartly. 

"  You  are  wrong  on  the  fact,  as  T  have  shown 
you  before." 

"  It 's  no  use  to  argue  the  point  with  you  :  if  the 


196  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

principal  had  only  been  fair  enough  to  hear  what 
Lew  Shoreham  had  to  say,  we  should  have  been 
fully  justified." 

"  He  never  argues  the  point  with  those  who 
refuse  to  obey." 

"  No  matter.  Have  you  heard  anything  more 
from  the  Chesterfields  ?  " 

."  We  had  a  smart  brush  with  them  this  fore- 
noon," answered  the  coxswain  ;  and  he  proceeded 
to  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  encounter  with  the 
Topovers  and  their  allies. 

Life  Windham  listened  with  breathless  interest. 
It  was  the  liveliest  affair  of  the  whole  season,  and 
he  had  been  shut  up  in  his  room.  He  was  vexed 
and  indignant  that  he  had  not  been  permitted 
to  take  a  hand  iu  the  stirring  enterprise.  When 
he  had  finished  the  narrative  Dory  wanted  to  work 
on  his  plan,  and  Life  left  him.  He  found  all  the 
other  students  at  liberty  were  engaged  in  the  same 
way. 

Life  had  to  spend  the  afternoon  by  himself. 
Late  in  the  day  he  saw  Bob  Swanton  come  out  of 
the  dormitory  with  the  uniform  on.  He  was  just 
beginning  to  ask  himself  if  he  had  not  been  a 
traitor  to  the  "  cause,"  and  to  the  rebels  engaged 
in  it.  He  was  glad  to  see  one  of  them.  Life  was 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  197 

pleased  to  1iave  a  companion,  and  they  talked  over 
the  situation. 

"  Not  the  least  notice  seems  to  have  been  taken 
of  us,"  said  Swanton. 

"  Not  the  slightest,"  added  Life.  "  Why,  the 
principal  did  not  even  say  a  single  word  about  us 
after  we  left  the  schoolroom,  and  has  not  men- 
tioned us  in  any  way." 

"  He  is  the  oddest  principal  I  ever  heard  of.  I 
suppose  he  will  let  the  fellows  stay  in  their  rooms 
all  winter,"  continued  Bob  Swanton,  who  had 
pluck  enough  to  fight,  but  not  enough  to  be 
ignored. 

"  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Lew  Shore- 
ham  ought  to  have  made  his  argument  when  the 
order  to  put  on  the  uniform  was  given,"  said  Life, 
rather  sheepishly ;  "  for  the  principal  was  cer- 
tainly ready  to  hear  all  the  fellows  had  to  say 
at  that  time.  Lew  didn't  say  a  word  about 
punishing  us  for  the  sins  of  others  then." 

"  I  asked  him  why  he  did  not,  and  he  said  he 
had  not  thought  of  it  at  that  time." 

But  the  supper-bell  ended  the  discussion,  and 
the  two  ex-rebels  went  to  the  house  with  the  other 
students.  Captain  Gildrock  saw  them,  but  he 
made  no  remark  of  any  kind  about  their  return  to 


198  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

duty,  or  the  fact  that  they  wore  the  uniform. 
The  rest  of  the  students  seemed  to  be  glad  to 
see  them,  but  they  would  not  allude  to  the  rebel- 
lion. 

The  next  morning,  Harry  Franklin  and  Phil 
Gawner  appeared  in  uniform ;  and  at  night  only 
Lew  Shoreham  remained  a  prisoner.  The  next 
morning  the  plans  for  the  prizes  were  to  be  handed 
in,  and  when  the  school  had  assembled,  quite 
a  number  of  the  students  had  rolls  of  drawings  in 
their  hands ;  but  many  of  them  had  nothing  to 
show  for  their  three  days'  study  of  architecture 
and  engineering. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  principal  came  in  and 
took  his  place  on  the  platform.  A  moment  later 
Lew  Shoreham  entered  in  full  uniform,  with  the 
cap  in  his  hand. 

w  May  I  be  permitted  to  make  an  explanation  ?  " 
said  the  last  of  the  rebels,  rising  in  his  seat. 

"In  my  private  office  at  the  close  of  the 
school,"  replied  Captain  Gildrock. 

That  was  not  what  the  chief  rebel  wanted. 


I 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    VISITING   COMMITTEE    AT   BEECH   HILL. 

wish  to  protest " 


"  Take  your  seat,  Shoreham  !  "  interposed  the 
principal  very  sternly. 

The  last  of  the  rebels  obeyed,  and  did  not 
appear  to  be  at  all  angry  or  indignant.  Possibly 
he  was  about  to  protest  in  order  to  save  appear- 
ances. Most  of  the  students  smiled  as  they  saw 
the  young  orator  deprived  of  his  only  chance  to 
plead  the  cause  to  which  he  had  been  a  martyr 
for  the  last  three  days. 

Captain  Gildrock  repeated  the  terms  on  which 
the  prizes  were  to  be  given,  so  that  there  should  be 
no  mistake  in  regard  to  them.  The  ex-rebels  lis- 
tened, though  the  subject  had  little  interest  in  the 
competition,  for  they  had  ruled  themselves  out  of 
it.  Not  the  remotest  allusion  was  made  to  their 
misconduct. 

"I  have  invited  three  gentlemen  to  spend  a  few 
days  with  me,"  continued  the  principal.  "  One  of 

199 


200  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

them  is  an  architect,  another  is  a  civil  engineer, 
and  the  third  is  a  salesman  in  a  hardware  store  in 
Boston.  They  will  form  the  committee  to  award 
the  prizes  for  the  best  plans.  They  will  arrive 
this  forenoon,  and  as  soon  as  they  come  to  a  deci- 
sion, I  shall  inform  you  of  the  result." 

The  captain  then  instructed  Mr.  Darlingby  to 
receive  the  plans  and  make  sure  that  there  was  no 
distinguishing  mark  on  any  of  them  except  the 
character  on  the  envelope  containing  the  name  of 
the  competitor.  He  was  to  retain  the  envelopes 
and  lock  them  up  in  the  safe.  As  a  further  pre- 
caution he  was  required  to  paste  a  piece  of  paper 
over  the  character  on  the  plans  so  that  even  this 
could  not  be  seen  by  the  committee. 

The  principal  then  left  the  schoolroom,  declin- 
ing even  to  see  the  rolls  of  drawings.  As  soon 
as  he  had  gone,  sixteen  plans  were  presented.  This 
was  a  greater  number  than  the  principal  had  ex- 
pected. Mr.  Darlingby  carried  out  the  instruc- 
tions given  him,  and  sent  the  drawings  to  the 
mansion  house.  The  studies  of  the  classes  pro- 
ceeded as  usual  during  the  forenoon. 

The  three  gentlemen  who  were  expected  ap- 
peared at  dinner,  and  the  students  regarded  them 
with  interest.  In  the  afternoon  they  visited  the 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  201 

shops  and  inspected  the  tools  and  machinery.  The 
first  class  were  now  at  work  as  carpenters,  and  the 
second  as  machinists. 

"As  soon  as  we  have  decided  on  the  plans,  all 
the  students  will  be  carpenters  for  a  time,"  said 
Captain  Gildrock,  who  explained  his  plans  with 
considerable  enthusiasm  to  the  visitors.  "  I 
intend  that  the  students  shall  do  almost  all  the 
work  of  building  the  new  boat-house,  though  I 
shall  have  laborers  enough  to  do  the  lifting  and 
digging." 

"You  have  excellent  tools  and  machinery  in 
every  department,"  suggested  Mr.  Flint,  the 
architect. 

"Good  tools  do  a  great  deal  towards  making 
good  workmen,"  replied  the  principal.  "Every 
student  has  been  instructed  how  to  keep  his  tools 
in  good  order.  Of  course  there  is  a  difference  in 
them  so  far  as  skill  is  concerned,  but  everyone 
can  grind  a  chisel  or  plane-iron." 

"  One  of  the  boys  invented  a  piece  of  apparatus 
by  which  any  desired  bevel  can  be  given  to  a  tool 
at  the  grindstone,"  interposed  Mr.  Jepson,  as  he 
exhibited  the  machine  to  the  visitors. 

It  was  simply  an  iron  plate,  taken  from  a  useless 
invention,  and  set  at  the  edge  of  the  stone.  It 


202  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

could  be  adjusted  at  any  angle  for  a  long  or  a 
short  bevel.  Some  of  the  work  done  with  it  was 
shown,  and  the  guests  said  it  was  as  true  as  could 
be  done  by  the  manufacturers.  On  a  bench  near 
the  grindstone,  which  was  turned  by  steam,  were 
oil-stones  of  two  kinds,  one  rather  coarse  and  the 
other  tine.  Lew  Shoreham  was  putting  a  chisel 
in  order  at  one  of  them. 

"That  is  the  inventor  of  the  grinding  apparatus," 
said  Mr.  Jepson. 

Shoreham  was  a  lion  for  the  time,  and  the 
visitors  were  introduced  to  him.  He  was  highly 
commended  for  his  inventive  power.  When  he 
had  finished  whetting  the  chisel,  Mr.  Flint  exam- 
ined it,  and  declared  that  it  was  sharp  enough  to 
shave  with. 

Thus  far  about  all  the  work  done  by  the  stu- 
dents had  been  in  fitting  up  the  shops,  though 
each  one  had  made  a  dressing-case  for  his  room. 
In  the  middle  and  at  each  end  of  the  carpenters' 
shop  was  a  case  containing  forty-nine  small 
drawers,  which  had  been  made  by  Corny  Mink- 
field,  Steve  Baxter  and  Ned  Bellows,  who  were 
reckoned  the  best  workmen  in  the  second  class. 
They  were  natural  mechanics,  though  they  were 
rather  low  in  scholarship. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  203 

"  But  do  they  like  to  work  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Bridges, 
the  civil  engineer. 

"  They  would  work  here  from  the  time  they  get 
out  of  bed  in  the  morning  till  dark  if  we  would 
let  them,"  replied  Mr.  Brookbine.  "  I  don't  know 
that  they  are  particularly  fond  of  the  hard  work 
of  sawing  and  planing,  though  we  do  most  of  it 
by  machinery.  But  in  every  job  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  variety ;  and  this  makes  even  the  hard 
work  easy.  The  boys  are  all  the  time  studying 
out  how  to  do  it,  and  this  affords  them  a  sort  of 
excitement  which  amounts  to  fascination." 

"  What  are  those  trap-doors  at  the  end  of  each 
bench?"  asked  Mr.  Ritchie,  the  salesman. 

"Those  are  a  device  of  one  of  the  boys,"  re- 
plied the  master  carpenter.  "  Captain  Gildrock 
rightly  insists  that  the  shops  shall  be  kept  as  neat 
as  the  parlor  in  the  house.  Formerly  the  shavings 
had  to  be  taken  up  and  put  into  barrels,  which 
were  conveyed  to  the  engine-room,  under  the  ma- 
chine shop." 

Mr.  Brookbine  pulled  a  small  cord  under  the 
bench,  which  opened  one  of  the  trap-doors. 
Slipping  the  cord  into  a  slot,  a  knot  held  the 
cover  in  place.  Each  student  was  provided  with 
a  long  and  a  short  handled  dust  brush,  which  were 


204  SQUARE    AND  COMPASSES  ; 

hung  up  at  each  end  of  the  bench.  He  was  re- 
quired frequently  to  sweep  his  chips  and  shavings 
down  the  trap. 

"  Phil  Gawner  is  the  author  of  this  device.  He 
has  also  projected  a  wooden  railroad,  bjr  which  the 
shavings  can  be  received  into  cars  under  the  traps, 
and  conveyed  to  the  furnace-room.  The  boys  are 
not  mechanics  enough  yet  to  build  the  cars ;  but 
probably  it  will  be  done  one  of  these  days." 

"What  sort  of  a  machine  is  that?"  asked  Mr. 
Flint,  pointing  to  a  piece  of  apparatus  that  hung 
upon  the  wall. 

It  was  a  square  piece  of  plank  eighteen  inches 
across,  in  which  a  quarter  of  a  circle  had  been  cut 
out  at  one  corner.  In  the  middle  of  it  another 
square  piece  of  plank  had  been  fastened,  and  on 
each  side  of  the  quarter  circle  were  two  wooden 
screws. 

"That  is  an  invention  of  Jim  Alburgh.  I  call 
it  an  invention,  though  others  may  have  used  the 
same  thing,  for  it  is  original  with  this  student," 
replied  Mr.  BrookbSne.  "You  see  the  frames 
containing  the  printed  regulations  of  the  school. 
The  boys  made  these  frames.  They  had  a  great 
deal  of  difficulty  in  holding  the  parts  securely 
while  they  nailed  the  corners.  Jim  devised 


OK,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  205 

this  apparatus.  The  two  parts,  when  mitred,  are 
screwed  up  in  this  thing,  and  held  together  as 
firmly  as  though  they  had  grown  into  the  position." 

Some  pieces  of  plain  turning  were  shown  to  the 
visitors,  but  not  much  time  had  been  devoted 
to  the  lathes.  In  this  part  of  the  shop  were 
observed  the  same  tendency  to  "improve  things," 
and  the  same  skill  in  remedying  defects,  inventing 
apparatus  to  secure  facility  or  correctness  in  the 
work.  One  fellow  had  devised  a  plan  to  prevent 
a  band  from  running  off  the  speed-wheels  ;  another 
had  arranged  a  shelf  to  hold  his  tools  while  he 
was  at  work ;  and  a  third  had  adjusted  a  marker 
on  his  rest  with  which  he  could  lay  out  the  dis- 
tances on  his  wood. 

"  The  boys  seem  to  be  as  much  interested  as 
though  they  were  engaged  in  a  game  of  base  ball," 
said  Mr.  Bridges. 

"They  would  leave  a  game  of  base  ball  any 
time  to  work  in  the  shops,"  replied  Captain  Gild- 
rock.  "  Of  course  Mr.  Brookbine  and  Mr. 
Jepson  have  to  adapt  the  work  to  the  students, 
and  see  that  there  is  variety  enough  in  it  to  keep 
their  minds  active.  If  they  set  them  to  sawing, 
planing,  filing  or  boring  iron,  simply  to  learn  how 
to  do  these  things,  they  would  soon  get  disgusted. 


206  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

They  want  to  '  make  something ; '  and  while  they 
are  doing  so,  they  don't  mind  the  strain  on  the 
bones  and  muscles.  I  don't  know  how  they  will 
take  to  framing  the  new  building,  for  that  is  hard 
labor,  and  spruce  timber  is  hard  to  work." 

"  With  good  tools  in  good  order  they  will  do 
very  well ;  and  building  the  house  is  a  big  thing 
for  boys  to  do,"  added  the  master  carpenter.  "  By 
the  way,  we  have  no  framing  tools." 

"  You  are  not  a  drummer,  Mr.  Ritchie,  but  I 
dare  say  you  will  take  an  order  when  you  return," 
added  the  principal,  laughing. 

"Always  ready  to  sell  goods,"  replied  the 
salesman.  "  I  have  no  samples  of  the  goods  you 
want,"  added  Mr.  Ritchie. 

"  All  our  tools  and  machinery  came  from 
Wilkinson's,  and  I  am  willing  to  Uuy  without 
seeing  a  sample,"  continued  Captain  Gildrock. 

The  shipmaster  had  made  the  acquaintance  of 
John  Ritchie  while  purchasing  the  tools  and  ma- 
chinery for  the  school.  He  was  a  model  salesman, 
and  the  captain  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  him. 
He  had  invited  him  to  spend  his  vacation  at  Beech 
Hill,  and  as  an  excuse  for  paying  his  travelling 
expenses,  he  had  invited  him  to  serve  on  the  com- 
mittee to  award  the  prizes. 


OR,    BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  207 

"  What  tools  do  we  need,  Mr.  Brookbine  ? " 
asked  the  principal.  "I  thought  you  gave  me 
lists  of  all  that  would  be  wanted." 

"  When  I  did  so  I  had  no  idea  that  the  boys 
would  ever  have  occasion  to  frame  a  building. 
The  first  things  we  want  are  a  steel  square  and 
compasses  for  each  student,  for  I  intend  to  have 
the  boys  lay  out  the  work  as  well  as  do  it ;  that 
is,  after  the  general  plan  for  framing  the  house  is 
arranged.  Everyone  must  learn  to  use  the  square 
and  compass." 

"  Square  and  compasses,"  added  the  captain, 
laughing.  "  We  use  a  compass  on  board  of  a 
vessel." 

"  You  are  right,  captain ;  the  dividers  are  pro- 
perly compasses,  and  they  ought  always  to  be 
called  so  to  distinguish  them  from  the  marine 
instrument,  but  many  carpenters  use  the  word  in 
the  singular  form.  The  square  and  compasses, 
with  a  set  of  framing  chisels  and  a  few  more  heavy 
mallets  than  we  have,  will  be  all  the  different  ar- 
ticles we  shall  need." 

Captain  Gildrock  gave  the  order  at  once,  and 
Mr.  Ritchie  wrote  it  down.  After  a  survey  of  the 
schoolroom  and  the  dormitory,  the  visitors  were 
taken  to  the  lake.  Bates  pulled  them  over  to  the 


208  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

grove  and  they  carefully  looked  over  the  shores 
on  both  sides  in  preparation  for  the  examination 
of  the  plans.  The  next  morning  they  engaged  in 
their  work  upon  the  plans  submitted.  The  master 
carpenter  and  the  master  machinist  were  added  to 
the  committee  at  the  request  of  the  visitors.  The 
following  day  was  Saturday,  and  a  grand  excursion 
around  Lake  Champlain  was  arranged  for  the 
guests. 

After  breakfast  the  students  put  on  their 
steamer  uniform,  and  took  their  stations  on  board 
of  the  Sylph.  The  visitors  were  greatlj-  amused 
as  well  as  delighted  when  they  saw  the  students  in 
their  places  on  board.  The  attentive  scholar  of 
the  schoolroom,  the  inventor  in  the  workshops  had 
become  a  cook,  a  waiter,  a  pilot,  or  a  deck  hand. 
Mr.  Flint  insisted  that  it  was  all  decidedly  funny. 

They  looked  with  wonder  at  Oscar  Chester  at 
the  wheel  in  the  pilot-house,  where  he  had  the 
helm  alone.  But  he  knew  what  he  was  about, 
though  Dory  Dornwood,  the  first  pilot,  kept  a 
close  watch  upon  the  movements  of  the  steam 
yacht.  The  dinner  was  not  only  elaborate  but 
excellent ;  and  the  visitors  returned  to  Beech  Hill 
deeply  impressed  by  what  they  had  seen. 

On  Monday  morning  they  were  ready  to  report 
on  the  plans. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  ORATOR  OF  THE  REBELS  OBTAINS  A  HEARING. 


fT^HE  students  gathered  in  the  schoolroom  as 
usual  on  Monday  morning.  There  was  no 
little  excitement,  even  among  those  who  had  no 
interest  in  the  prizes,  for  it  had  been  announced 
that  the  awards  would  be  made  at  this  time.  So 
closely  had  every  student  who  had  any  ideas  in 
regard  to  the  plan  or  location  kept  them  to  him- 
self, that  no  one  could  even  make  a  guess  as  to 
who  would  get  the  prizes. 

"We  have  found  some  merit  in  all  the  plans," 
said  Mr.  Flint,  who  was  the  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee. "We  agreed  that  it  was  a  tremendous 
undertaking  for  young  gentlemen  under  twenty  to 
plan  a  wharf  and  a  building,  and  it  was  hardly  to 
be  expected  that  a  single  one  of  their  efforts 
would  be  acceptable.  But  all  have  had  the  benefit 
of  the  thought  and  study  the  subject  has  given 
them,  and  the  unsuccessful  ones  may  reap  a  har- 
vest in  the  future  from  it  of  a  thousandfold  more 
value  than  the  prizes. 

209 


210  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES; 

"We  are  unanimous  in  our  conclusion,  and  we 
come  to  the  award  without  any  doubt  or  hesitation. 
It  is  no  discredit  to  the  students  to  say  that  the 
plans  to  which  the  prizes  were  awarded  were 
the  only  ones  which  were  practicable.  In  some 
the  building  was  twice  as  large  as  necessary,  with 
a  large  portion  of  the  space  within  it  wasted.  In 
others  it  would  cost  a  million  dollars  to  carry  out 
the  ideas  of  the  competitor. 

"  In  one  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  steamer 
to  come  up  to  the  wharf  without  backing  on  a 
stern-line.  One  did  not  put  a  single  window  in 
his  building,  even  for  the  hall ;  and  another  sup- 
plied no  stairs  by  which  the  second  story  could  be 
reached.  In  one  instance,  the  dressing-rooms 
could  only  be  reached  by  going  up  stairs,  and 
passing  through  the  hall. 

"  But  some  of  the  plans  which  contain  the 
greatest  defects  also  include  some  of  the  most 
meritorious  features.  The  successful  plan  for  the 
boat-house  and  the  one  for  the  wharf  and  location 
are  admirably  fitted  to  each  other.  The  committee 
visited  the  locality,  and  carefully  examined  the 
natural  structure  of  the  land  and  the  depth  of 
water.  The  fortunate  competitor  has  taken  ad- 
vantage of  the  formation  of  the  shore  for  the 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  211 

wharf  and  the  docks  for  the  row-boats  ;  but  it 
would  be  impossible  to  erect  the  buildings  accord- 
ing to  most  of  the  plans." 

"Was  the  plan  for  the  building  that  fitted  this 
location  best  selected  for  that  reason,  sir?"  asked 
Ben  Ludlow. 

"A  pertinent  question,  young  gentleman,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Flint,  with  a  smile.  "  The  committee 
awarded  the  prize  for  the  building  before  they 
considered  or  even  looked  at  the  plans  for  the 
wharf  and  location.  We  decided  upon  the  merits 
of  the  plan  for  the  boat-house  so  that  its  fitness 
for  the  locality  might  not  influence  us.  I  need 
not  say  anything  more,  except  to  repeat  that  all 
the  plans,  in  spite  of  the  defects  that  may  be 
found  in  them,  contain  much  that  is  creditable  to 
amateur  architects  and  engineers." 

As  he  finished  his  remarks,  he  handed  two  rolls 
of  drawings  to  the  principal.  The  students  gazed 
at  them  eagerly,  but  there  was  nothing  about 
them  which  enabled  any  student  to  determine  to 
whom  they  belonged.  A  kind  of  buff  wrapping- 
paper  was  provided  for  rough  drawings,  and,  as 
all  the  scholars  had  used  this  article,  the  rolls 
were  just  alike. 

"I  am  satisfied  that  the  committee  have  acted 


212  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

with  the  utmost  fairness,  though  I  have  not  been 
present  at  any  of  their  sessions,"  said  Captain 
(iildrock. 

"I  wish  to  say  for  myself  and  Mr.  Jepson,  that 
we  have  not  the  remotest  suspicion  to  whom  the 
prizes  have  been  awarded,"  interposed  Mr.  Brook- 
bine.  tf  The  handwriting  of  the  boys  is  so  nearly 
the  same  thing  that  it  gave  us  no  clew  to  the 
winner." 

"  If  any  student  has  any  objections  to  make  to 
the  fairness  of  this  transaction,  now  is  the  time, 
and  the  only  time  there  will  be,  to  make  them," 
added  the  principal. 

At  this  remark  Lew  Shoreham  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  the  boys  wondered  if  he  intended  to 
deliver  the  oration  he  had  prepared  as  a  protest 
against  a  uniform. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  feel  obliged  to  object  —  not,  I 
beg  to  say,  in  the  most  emphatic  manner,  —  to  the 
fairness  of  the  committee,"  the  last  of  the  rebels 
began,  pluming  himself  for  a  speech  which  prom- 
ised, as  usual,  to  be  of  considerable  length.  "  Our 
honored  principal  was  kind  enough  to  say  the 
r  fairness  of  this  transaction,'  from  which  I  infer 
that  the  whole  subject  of  the  plans  and  prizes  is 
included." 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  213 

"Certainly,"  added  the  principal  rather  brusquely, 
as  though  he  understood  what  was  coming.  "  But 
you  must  confine  yourself  to  the  subject  now  be- 
fore the  school." 

"That  is  my  intention,"  replied  Shoreham,  with 
a  polite  bow  to  the  head  of  the  school.  "  The 
objection  I  feel  compelled  to  make  is,  that  nearly 
one  third  of  the. school  —  eight  out  of  twenty-six, 
to  speak  with  mathematical  accuracy  —  have  been 
shut  out  from  the  competition." 

Mr.  Bridges  had  to  stuff  half  his  pocket  hand- 
kerchief into  his  mouth  to  ward  off  an  outburst 
of  laughter  at  the  high-flown  speech  of  the  speaker, 
and  the  other  members  of  the  committee  were 
equally  amused,  though  their  risibles  were  more 
controllable. 

"  Eight  of  the  students  of  this  useful  institution, 
some  of  whom  had  ideas  in  the  sublime  science  of 
architecture,  and  in  the  equally  important  subject 
of  civil  engineering,  were  prevented  from  em- 
bodying those  ideas  in  the  form  of  plans,  and 
presenting  them  for  consideration  in  this  compe- 
tition," Shoreham  proceeded,  evidently  believing 
that  he  had  produced  a  sensation  in  the  committee. 

"What  prevented  them  from  competing  for  the 
prizes,  Shoreham?"  asked  the  matter-of-fact  prin- 


214  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

cipal,  who  had  not  a  great  stock  of  patience  undej: 
the  infliction  of  a  high-flown  speech. 

"The  eight  students  alluded  to  unfortunately 
differed  from  the  authority  of  the  school,  and  from 
a  majority  of  their  fellow-students,  in  a  matter 
relating  to  the  discipline  of  the  institution.  They 
were  sentenced  to  confinement  in  their  several 
apartments.  While  they  were  thus  compulsorily 
absent  from  the  usual  assemblage  of  the  stu- 
dents "  - 

Mr.  Bridges  could  stand  it  no  longer ;  the 
handkerchief  failed  as  a  preventive,  and  he  had 
to  indulge  in  a  fit  of  audible  laughter,  in  which 
the  other  members  of  the  committee  politely 
joined. 

"This  was  a  solemn  and  important  matter  to 
the  students  alluded  to,"  continued  Shoreham, 
with  the  utmost  seriousness,  for  he  could  not  tell, 
for  the  life  of  him,  what  the  fat  civil  engineer  was 
laughing  at.  "  It  involved  their  rights  and  privi- 
leges. While  they  were  thus  excluded,  by  au- 
thority which  they  were  too  loyal  to  disregard"  — 

"And  Bates  was  too  vigilant  to  permit  them  to 
disregard,"  the  principal,  now  as  much  amused  as 
his  guests,  interjected. 

"Without  introducing  any  unnecessary  details, 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  215 

I  need  only  say  that  the  eight  students,  whose 
deportment  was  usually  unobjectionable,  and  who 
habitually  discharged  with  fidelity  their  obligations 
to  the  institution  and  its  respected  founder,  were 
excluded,  by  authority,  from  the  particular  assem- 
blage of  the  pupils  in  which  the  prizes  were  offered 
for  the  plan  and  location.  The  other  students 
were  forbidden  to  speak  with  any  persons  in  re- 
gard to  the  plans,  and  the  eight  were  unable  to 
obtain  the  terms  of  the  offer,  and  were  thus  cir- 
cumstantially shut  out  from  the  competition.  For 
myself  and  the  other  students  who  were  thus 
unjustly  excluded,  I  wish  to  protest  against  the 
award  about  to  be  made,  and  to  suggest  that  the 
offer  be  repeated,  so  that  the  eight  may  have 
the  opportunity  to  stand  on  the  same  footing  as 
their  fellow-students." 

"As  I  am  charged  with  injustice  and  unfairness, 
I  should  like  to  have  the  committee  settle  this 
question,"  said  Captain  Gildrock,  who  appeared  to 
be  in  an  unusual  mood  for  him,  for  he  was  laugh- 
ing as  merrily  as  the  stout  civil  engineer.  "  I  will 
agree  to  abide  by  your  decision,  gentlemen." 

"  For  myself  and  my  associates  whom  I  repre- 
sent, I  assent  to  this  magnanimous  proposition," 
replied  Shoreham. 


210  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

From  motives  of  delicacy  the  committee  ob- 
jected to  deciding  the  matter,  but,  at  the  request 
of  the  captain,  they  finally  consented,  regarding 
the  whole  business  as  a  farce  rather  than  a  matter 
of  serious  importance.  The  students  were  rather 
impatient,  for  they  wanted  to  know  to  whom  the 
prizes  had  been  awarded,  and  most  of  the  rebels 
were  satisfied  that  they  had  been  in  the  wrong. 

Shoreham  had  already  stated  the  question,  and 
the  chairman,  declaring  that  they  understood  it 
perfectly,  declined  to  allow  Shoreham  to  make 
another  speech. 

"You  were  shut  up  in  your  room,  and  could 
not  find  out  the  terms  of  the  offer;  that's  the 
whole  thing  in  a  nutshell,  isn't  it?"  said  Mr. 
Bridges,  turning  to  the  orator  of  the  rebels. 

"  The  question  you  ask,  sir,  naturally  and  logi- 
cally involves  the  reason  why  we  were  confined 
to  our  apartments,"  replied  Shoreham, — and  this 
seemed  to  be  the  place  where  the  oration  could  be 
properly  introduced. 

"  Dry  up,  Lew  !  "  called  Windham,  in  a  whisper 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all  in  the  room,  call- 
ing forth  a  burst  of  laughter. 

"  If  we  were  properly  and  justly  incarcerated  "  — 

Mr.  Bridges  exploded  again. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  217 

"  Never  mind  that,  Mr.  Shoreham,"  interposed 
the  chairman  of  the  committee. 

"  No  rogue  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw 
With  good  opinion  of  the  law," 

chuckled  the  civil  engineer. 

"  We  were  acting  on  principle,  sir,"  said  Shore- 
ham  warmly. 

"  Exactly  so  !  "  exclaimed  the  jolly  Mr.  Bridges. 
"  Let  me  tell  you  of  a  terrible  outrage  inflicted  on 
one  of  my  neighbors  in  a  small  town  in  another 
State.  His  name  was  on  the  voting-list,  but  when 
the  day  of  election  came,  he  was  not  allowed  to 
vote.  He  was  robbed  of  the  dearest  right  of  an 
American  citizen.  He  was  ruthlessly  debarred 
from  constitutionally  expressing  his  choice  for  a 
governor  of  the  State.  Was  n't  it  awful  ?  '' 

"I  should  say  that  it  was  an  outrage,  as  you 
called  it  in  the  beginning.  But  why  was  he  de- 
barred from  his  right  ?  "  asked  the  orator. 

"  He  was  shut  up  in  the  house  of  correction," 
laughed  the  fat  committee-man. 

"  Oh,  for  some  crime  ! "  exclaimed  the  represen- 
tative of  the  rebels. 

"  That  depends  upon  how  you  look  at  it.  He 
did  not  regard  that  for  which  he  was  shut  up  as  a 
crime ;  in  fact,  he  was  acting  on  principle," 


218  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

chuckled  the  jolly  disputant.  "  He  claimed  that 
it  was  right  to  sell  liquor,  though  the  law  of  the 
State  made  it  a  crime.  At  any  rate,  his  business 
was  such  that  he  could  not  leave,  even  to  vote. 
His  case  was  just  like  yours,  only  a  great  deal 
worse,  Mr.  Shoreham." 

The  students  indulged  in  a  round  of  hearty  ap- 
plause, and  the  orator  found  it  utterly  impossible 
to  meet  the  argument  contained  in  this  parallel 
case.  He  subsided.  Captain  Gildrock  was  satis- 
fied with  the  decision  of  the  committee,  and  so 
were  all  the  students,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Shoreham.  The  papers  that  covered  the  char- 
acters on  the  two  rolls  were  removed  by  Mr.  Dar- 
lingby,  and  the  same  one  appeared  on  both  of 
them. 

"Both  prizes  have  been  awarded  to  the  same 
student,  I  see,"  said  the  principal,  while  the  in- 
structor went  for  the  envelopes. 

The  character  was  the  Greek  letter  Beta,  and 
the  two  envelopes,  thus  indorsed,  were -handed  to 
the  principal.  There  was  intense  excitement 
when  he  opened  them. " 

"  Bolingbroke  Millweed,"  Captain  Gildrock  read 
from  the  enclosures  of  both,  and  a  round  of  ap- 
plause followed. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

BOLLY    EXPLAINS    HIS    PLANS    FOR     THE     BOAT- 
HOUSE    AND   WHARF. 

"DOLINGBROKE  MILLWEED  was  a  good 
scholar  and  a  fair  mechanic,  but  both  in- 
structors and  students  were  astonished  when  both 
prizes  were  awarded  to  him.  He  had  formerly 
been  a  "swell,"  but  he  had  entirely  recovered 
from  the  malady  Avhich  made  him  such.  Only 
a  few  weeks  before  he  was  too  proud  to  work  with 
his  hands. 

His  pride,  or  rather  vanity,  had  kept  down  his 
manhood,  and  made  of  him  what  the  genuine  boy 
called  a  "  donkey."  His  father  had  become  the 
"  head  of  the  family,"  at  home,  and  introduced  a 
new  order  of  things.  The  two  sons  were  in  the 
Beech  Hill  School,  and  the  two  girls  were  not 
only  earning  their  own  living,  but  were  doing  a 
great  deal  towards  the  support  of  the  family. 

The  new  order  of  things  had  placed  Bolly,  as 
everyone  called  him,  on  his  own  proper  level. 
It  had  developed  faculties  which  had  been  dor- 

219 


220  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES  ; 

niant,  and  made  him  a  useful  as  well  as  a  sensible, 
young  man.  The  result  of  the  competition  proved 
that  he  had  talent  of  a  high  order,  and  that  the 
industrial  school  was  bringing  it  out. 

Bolly  was  fairly  popular  among  his  associates, 
though  there  was  nothing  magnetic  about  him. 
He  was  not  likely  to  become  a  leader  among  men, 
but  Mr.  Flint  thought  he  had  the  right  kind  of 
ability  to  make  a  good  architect.  The  practical 
education  he  was  now  receiving  was  exactly  what 
he  needed.  While  he  was  learning  to  draw,  he 
was  also  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  practical  car- 
pentry and  work  in  metals,  as  well  as  an  insight 
into  other  trades. 

The  boys  had  given  the  successful  competitor  a 
liberal  demonstration  of  applause,  which  proved 
that  they  had  no  ill-will  or  jealousy ;  or  if  they 
had,  they  were  ashamed  to  manifest  it.  The  ex- 
citement had  been  intense,  and  it  did  not  seem 
to  moderate  after  the  prizes  had  been  awarded. 
The  students  wanted  to  know  all  about  the  plans 
and  the  location,  and  how  the  wharf  was  to  be 
built. 

Captain  Gildrock  took  from  his  pocket  a  couple 
of  fifty-dollar  bills,  and  laid  them  on  the  desk,  and 
Bolly  was  called  to  the  platform.  Another  round 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  221 

of  applause  greeted  him,  and  the  principal  did  not 
object  to  it.  The  victor  was  formally  introduced 
to  each  of  the  visitors,  who  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  congratulated  him  upon  his  success.  Mr. 
Bridges  said  he  could  not  help  laughing  when  he 
thought  of  the  triumphant  architect  doing  duty  as 
third  fireman  in  the  hold  of  the  Sylph. 

"  If  this  boy  should  happen  to  become  an  archi- 
tect in  the  future,  do  you  suppose  that  what  he 
learns  in  the  fireroom  of  the  steamer  will  be  any 
disadvantage  to  him  ?  "  said  the  principal. 

"On  the  contrary,  I  think  what  he  learns  in 
any  capacity  will  be  of  immense  value  to  him," 
replied  the  civil  engineer  earnestly.  "  In  fact,  it 
would  be  worth  all  it  cost  in  any  calling." 

"  I  noticed  that  this  young  gentleman's  brother 
was  first  cook,"  added  Mr.  Flint.  "I  have  often 
had  to  get  up  designs  and  make  drawings  for 
hotels,  prisons,  insane  asylums,  and  other  build- 
ings in  which  a  kitchen  was  a  very  important 
apartment.  Now,  I  am  sure,  if  I  had  ever  been  a 
cook  I  should  have  been  better  fitted  to  manage 
the  details  of  such  a  department." 

"  An  eminent  surgeon  told  me  he  was  sorry  he 
had  not  learned  to  be  a  carpenter  or  a  machinist 
after  he  graduated  from  college,  for  a  knowledge 


222  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

of  these  arts  would  make  him  a  better  surgeon," 
Mr.  Bridges  remarked. 

w  Now,  Millvveed,"  continued  the  principal,  "the 
students  want  to  know  all  about  your  plans,"  —  and 
this  observation  was  greeted  with  a  clapping  of 
hands.  "  I  propose  that  you  shall  tell  them  your- 
self, and  explain  }'our  plans  in  full."  This  re- 
mark was  applauded.  "  There  is  a  large,  clean 
blackboard  behind  you,  and  you  may  do  it  in 
your  own  way." 

"  I  am  no  orator,  as  Brutus  is,"  replied  Bolly, 
blushing. 

"  Brutus  Shoreham  !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  boys, 
and  all  the  assembly  laughed  ;  and  from  that  time 
the  last  of  the  rebels  was  called  Brutus  by  the  stu- 
dents oftener  than  anything  else. 

*  I  am  afraid  I  can't  speak  well  enough  to  make 
myself  understood,"  said  Bolly,  as  he  looked 
nervously  at  the  blackboard  and  then  at  the  stu- 
dents. 

"  You  need  not  declaim  it ;  only  tell  what  your 
plans  are,  just  as  you  would  explain  them  to  one 
of  your  companions  over  in  the  grove,"  added 
Captain  Gildrock,  encouragingly. 

"I  will  try,  sir.  Shall  I  explain  the  building, 
or  the  location  first,"  asked  Bolly. 


Oft,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  223 

"  Suit  yourself,  Millweed." 

"Then  I  will  begin  with  the  location,"  replied 
the  successful  competitor,  as  he  took  a  crayon 
and  turned  to  the  blackboard,  where  he  rapidly 
sketched  the  shore-line  of  the  northeast  corner  of 
Beech  Hill  Lake. 

This  part  of  the  lake  formed  a  considerable  bay, 
abreast  of  which  was  the  school  building  and  shops, 
while  the  dormitory  was  near  the  rocks  at  the  foot 
of  Beech  Hill.  About  one  third  of  the  way  across 
the  lake  was  a  low  peninsula,  whose  surface  was 
nearly  flat,  and  not  more  than  three  feet  above  the 
usual  level  of  the  lake.  This  point  projected  out 
into  the  lake  about  ten  rods,  and  formed  the  west- 
ern shore  of  the  bay,  —  called  by  the  boys  Hornet 
Bay,  on  account  of  a  quarrel  some  of  them  had 
had  with  insects  of  that  name,  in  which  the  hor- 
nets got  the  better  of  them. 

"  This  is  Chowder  Point,"  Bolly  began,  indicat- 
ing with  the  pointer  the  projection  of  rocks,  which 
had  formerly  been  much  used  for  picnic  purposes. 
"  This  is  the  location  I  have  chosen  for  the  boat- 
house." 

"  Why  did  n't  you  put  it  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake?"  asked  one  of  the  students,  who  thought  it 
was  too  far  from  the  old  wharf. 


224  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  J 

"  Chowder  Point  is  just  the  same  distance  from 
the  shop  and  schoolroom  as  the  old  wharf,  and 
only  half  the  distance  from  the  dormitory,"  replied 
Bolly,  with  patient  dignity. 

"  And  about  the  same  distance  from  the  mansion- 
house,"  added  the  principal.  "I  must  ask  the 
students  not  to  interrupt  the  speaker,  and  not  to 
ask  any  more  questions  until  he  has  finished  his 
explanation." 

While  the  captain  was  making  this  remark,  Bolly 
dashed  off  a  parallelogram,  rather  more  than  twice 
as  long  as  it  was  wide.  It  covered  the  end  of 
Chowder  Point,  the  extremity  of  which  extended 
a  short  distance  outside  of  it. 

t(  This  figure  represents  the  location  of  the 
boat-house,"  continued  Bolly,  using  the  pointer. 
"  You  observe  that  about/ one  third  of  the  building 
is  on  the  land,  or  rocks,  and  the  rest  of  it  is  over 
the  water." 

"  But  where  does  the  wharf  come  in  ?  "  asked  an 
excited  student. 

"  No  questions !  "  interposed  the  principal. 
"  You  need  not  answer  it,  Millvveed." 

"  I  shall  come  to  the  wharf  in  a  few  minutes," 
replied  Bolly.  "  The  main  building,  represented 
by  this  parallelogram,  is  to  be  ninety-one  feet  long 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  225 

by  thirty-one  feet  wide,  —  rather  narrow  for  the 
length,  you  will  say;  but  the  proportions  will  be 
improved  a  little  before  I  finish." 

The  speaker  took  the  crayon  and  marked  off  the 
docks  for  the  barges.  They  opened  at  the  south 
end  of  the  structure,  into  Hornet  Bay.  He  had 
made  the  inner  ends  of  the  two  docks  something 
in  shape  of  the  bows  of  the  boats,  so  that  the  idea 
could  be  better  obtained  by  the  listeners. 

"  These  docks  are  fifty-four  feet  long,  and  nine, 
feet  wide.  The  space  between  them  is  a  platform 
six  feet  wide.  Next  to  the  walls  of  the  building 
on  each  side  is  a  platform  three  feet  wide.  You 
will  see  that  I  am  giving  }^ou  the  plan  of  the  build- 
ing as  well  as  the  location  ;  but  this  seems  to  be 
the  most  natural  way  to  do  it." 

Bolly  then  drew  a  section  of  the  structure,  look- 
ing at  the  south  end  of  it.  At  the  lower  part  on 
each  side  four  feet  were  added  to  the  breadth  of 
the  house,  increasing  it  to  forty  feet,  with  the 
allowance  for  the  thickness  of  the  sides.  But  this 
addition  was  only  one  fourth  of  the  whole  height 
of  the  house.  It  had  a  slanting  roof,  making 
the  addition  what  used  to  be  called  a  "  lean-to." 

The  excitement  of  the  boys  increased  as  Bolly 
advanced  with  his  plans,  and  they  wondered  what 


220  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

this  narrow  strip  on  each  side  of  the  building  could 
mean.  They  wanted  to  ask  questions,  and  it  was 
hard  work  for  them  to  keep  from  bursting  out 
into  a  volley  of  inquiries.  The  amateur  architect 
drew  a  great  many  lines  across  this  narrow  addi- 
tion, which  tended  to  throw  some  light  on  the 
mystery.  But  the  added,  strips  looked  very  like 
a  couple  of  ladders. 

tf  These  are  the  dressing-rooms,"  Bolly  pro- 
ceeded, when  he  had  finished  this  part  of  the 
drawing.  "  There  are  forty  of  them,  as  required 
in  the  terms,  and  each  of  them  is  four  feet  by 
three.  From  each  a  door  opens  to  the  outside 
platforms  on  the  docks." 

At  this  point  the  students  took  it  all  in,  and  a 
round  of  applause  greeted  this  feature,  which  the 
boys  thought  was  an  admirable  one.  The  oars- 
men could  come  out  of  the  dressing-rooms  in  which 
they  had  put  on  their  uniforms,  and  step  directly 
into  the  barges. 

"  These  additions  to  the  sides  are  only  six  feet 
high  at  the  eaves  and  seven  at  the  walls.  The 
lower  story  of  the  boat-house  is  twelve  feet  high. 
This  leaves  five  feet  of  space  above  the  roof  of  the 
lean-to,  —  that 's  what  my  father  calls  the  L  of  his 
house.  In  this  space  are  to  be  ten  windows  on 


OR,    BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  227 

each  side.  There  are  also  four  windows  over  the 
doors  at  the  end  of  the  boat-house  by  which  the 
barges  are  to  be  admitted." 

"  I  think  your  building  will  be  well  lighted,  Mr. 
Milweed,"  interposed  Mr.  Flint,  thinking  the 
speaker  appeared  to  have  some  doubts  on  this 
point. 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Bolly,  much  gratified 
at  the  architect's  approval.  "  Six  feet  from  the 
inner  ends  of  the  docks  will  be  a  fence,  with  a  gate 
opposite  each  platform,"  continued  the  speaker, 
indicating  it  by  a  dotted  line.  "  The  dressing- 
rooms  end  at  this  fence.  Then  there  is  a  passage- 
way ten  feet  wide  across  the  house.  At  the  shore 
end  of  it  is  the  principal  entrance." 

Bolly  then  divided  the  space  on  the  plan  north 
of  this  passage-way  into  four  parts,  and  said  they 
were  the  two  storerooms,  the  sailroom,  and  the 
paint  shop.  Against  the  sides  at  this  end  of  the 
structure  he  made  two  more  additions,  wider  than 
the  others.  The  one  on  the  shore  side  was  for  the 
stairs  to  the  hall ;  the  other  was  for  one  of 
the  four-oar  boats  ;  and  a  third  was  run'  along  the 
water  part  of  the  north  end  for  the  other.  Bolly 
explained  these  features  of  the  plan  at  some 


228  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

"  The  wide  passageway  through  the  building 
from  the  main  entrance  to  the  water  side  of  the 
building  leads  to  the  wharf,"  continued  the  speak- 
er, pointing  to  it  on  his  drawing.  ''  You  will  ob- 
serve that  the  great  doors  on  the  water  side  are  in 
the  middle  of  the  tip  end  of  Chowder  Point. 
The  rock  extends  only  four  feet  outside  of  it. 

"  The  wharf  is  to  be  in  the  form  of  the  letter  T," 
Bolly  proceeded,  drawing  this  pier  in  the  place 
where  his  plan  located  it.  "  The  cross  part,  or 
top  of  the  T,  is  to  be  sixty  feet  from  the  boat- 
house,  and  is  to  be  reached  by  a  wooden  bridge 
ten  feet  wide,  with  a  single  span  of  fifty-six  feet. 
The  landing  part  of  the  wharf  is  a  huge  caisson, 
or  box,  sixty  feet  long  by  twelve  feet  wide,  which 
is  to  be  built  at  the  shore,  floated  to  the  place 
where  it  is  to  be  located,  and  sunk  with  rocks ; 
and  the  bottom  of  the  lake  at  this  place  is  almost 
parallel  with  the  surface  of  the  water." 

The  students  were  filled  with  wonder  by  these 
last  details. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

VOLLEYS     OF     QUESTIONS     ASKED    AND    ANSWERED. 

~D  OLINGBROKE  finished  his  explanation  with- 
out any  flourish,  and  when  he  had  done  he 
stopped,  which  all  orators  are  not  able  to  do.  He 
was  about  to  take  his  seat  when  the  volley  of 
questions  was  discharged  at  him ;  and  the  principal 
was  obliged  to  interpose  so  that  the  inquiries 
could  be  dealt  with  one  at  a  time. 

"You  need  not  answer  any  question,  Millweed, 
unless  you  are  willing  to  do  so,"  he  added. 

"I  am  perfectly  willing,"  said  Bolly.  "I  sup- 
pose they  have  all  found  some  objections  to  my 
plans,  and  I  should  rather  like  to  hear  them. 
Very  likely  some  of  the  fellows  will  put  questions 
that  I  cannot  answer,  and  I  don't  believe  I  shall 
be  able  to  get  over  all  the  objections  that  will  be 
made." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  the  three  corners 
of  the  boat-house  that  are  over  the  water  are 
to  rest  upon,"  said  Will  Orwell,  when  a  system  of 
conducting  the  discussion  had  been  arranged. 

229 


230  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"  The  bottom  of  the  lake  is  flat  rock  like  the 
shore.  As  the  water  is  only  from  four  to  four 
and  a  half  feet  deep  where  the  corners  come,  it 
will  be  easy  enough  to  set  stone  posts  on  the 
bottom,  not  only  at  the  corners,  but  in  as  many 
places  as  may  be  necessary,"  replied  the  architect. 

"  Such  posts  would  weigh  at  least  a  ton  apiece, 
and  I  should  like  to  know  how  we  are  to  handle 
them,"  added  Will  Orwell.  "  One  corner  is  over 
sixty  feet  from  the  shore,  and  we  have  nothing  to 
stand  on." 

This  was  just  the  kind  of  question  the  principal 
liked  to  have  come  before  the  boys,  for  it  assisted 
in  developing  their  ingenuity,  their  ability  to 
devise  expedients  for  overcoming  difficulties. 

"  I  could  mention  several  ways  of  doing  it," 
replied  Bolly,  with  a  confident  smile  ;  "  but  I  will 
name  only  the  one  I  thought  to  be  the  best  for  our 
case.  We  are  to  build  a  caisson,  or  box,  sixty  by 
twelve  for  the  wharf,  if  my  plan  is  adopted.  I 
propose  to  build  this  box  first,  and  use  it  as  a  sort 
of  scow  or  stage  in  the  erection  of  the  boat-house. 
We  need  not  make  the  sides  more  than  four  feet 
high  at  first.  We  can  put  some  timbers  across  it, 
on  which  a  derrick  can  be  placed." 

"  Excellent !  "  exclaimed  the  fat  civil  engineer. 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  231 

"  But  how*\vill  you  get  the  stone  posts  from  the 
quarry  to  the  derrick,"  continued  Will.  "  We  have 
no  vessel  in  which  they  can  be  carried." 

"With  the  timbers  to  be  used  in  raising  the 
,'harf  to  the  required  height,  we  can  make  a  raft 
on  which  two  or  three  of  the  posts  can  be  floated 
at  a  time.  It  can  be  towed  by  the  Sylph," 
answered  Boll}r,  who  had  evidently  been  over  all 
these  details. 

"  But  you  can't  set  these  posts  under  water.  If 
they  don't  happen  to  stand  plumb,  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  help  yourself,"  suggested  Luke 
Bennington. 

'r  But  we  can  help  ourselves,  even  if  we  have  to 
ask  the  principal  to  send  to  Boston  or  New  York 
for  a  submarine  diver  who  knows  how  to  lay 
stone,"  said  Bolly.  "  I  should  be  willing  to  take 
the  job  of  setting  the  posts  plumb  without  any 
outside  assistance  except  the  stone-cutters  at  the 
quarry.  The  bottom  is  nearly  level,  and  we  can 
obtain  the  exact  pitch  by  measuring.  We  can  cut 
a  flat  rock  to  fit  the  bottom." 

:f  There  is  still  another  way,"  interposed  Mr. 
Bridges. 

"  I  have  thought  of  a  coffer-dam,"  added  Bolly, 
glancing  at  the  visitor. 


232  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

"Exactly  so;  that  is  what  I  .was  thinking 
about,"  laughed  the  civil  engineer. 

"  What 's  a  coffer-dam  ?  "  demanded  Dave  Wins- 
low. 

"  There  are  several  ways  to  make  one,"  answered 
Bolly.  "  We  could  make  an  island  by  filling 
in  earth  :  then  dig  out  a  hole  in  it  the  same  as  we 
should  for  u  foundation  on  shore.  Another  way 
is  to  sink  a  wooden  or  iron  caisson,  or  box,  to  the 
bottom,  where  it  would  have  to  be  puddled  with 
clay.  Then  it  would  be  necessary  to  pump  out 
the  water.  When  this  is  done  we  should  have 
a  chance  to  set  the  posts  just  as  we  should  do  it  on 
shore." 

"  It  seems  to  me  you  don't  hit  on  the  easiest 
and  simplest  way  of  doing  the  job,"  interposed 
Mr.  Brookbine.  "  How  high  will  the  posts  of  the 
boat-house  be,  Bolly  ?  " 

"  About  thirty  feet." 

"  Very  well ;  rest  the  posts  on  the  bottom 
of  the  pond,  where  they  will  have  a  good  foun- 
dation," added  the  master  carpenter.  "  If  you 
take  a  stick  of  timber  and  set  it  up  endways 
in  deep  water,  one  half  of  it  will  be  below  the 
surface ;  and  in  four  feet  of  depth  nearly  the 
whole  weight  of  the  stick  would  rest  on  the  bot- 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  233 

torn.  It  seems  to  me  this  is  the  simplest  way  to 
do  it ! " 

The  boys  looked  at  Bolly,  and  their  expression 
seemed  to  say,  "  We  have  got  you  now  ! "  But 
the  amateur  architect  smiled  as  confidently  as 
ever. 

"  That  plan  would  do  very  well  in  Florida  or  the 
West  Indies,"  he  replied ;  whereat  the  corpulent 
civil  engineer  laughed  out  loud. 

"Why  not  in  Vermont?"  demanded  the  car- 
penter, wondering  what  Mr.  Bridges  was  laughing 
at. 

"  We  sometimes  have  the  thermometer  twenty 
degrees  below  zero,  and  under  the  new  boat- 
house  the  water  may  freeze  to  the  bottom.  When 
the  ice  expands,  it  will  be  likely  to  give  three 
corners  of  the  boat-house  a  lift  which  the  fourth 
will  not  get  on  the  solid  rock  shore.  If  all  the 
posts  were  in  the  water  it  would  do  better." 

Mr.  Brookbine  laughed  with  the  civil  engineer 
then,  and  admitted  that  he  had  not  thought  of  the 
ice. 

"  But  I  think  it  would  cost  more  to  stand  the 
posts,  thirty  feet  high,  on  the  ends  in  the  water 
than  it  would  to  build  the  caissons  for  coffer- 
dams," added  Mr.  Bridges.  "  I  suppose  you  will 


234  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

raise  the  building  in  sections,  but  you  must  have 
something  to  hold  on  to  in  the  water,  and  sink  the 
ends  of  the  posts  to  the  bottom." 

"  Now,  Mi  11  weed,  you  have  mentioned  several 
ways  of  managing  the  posts  in  the  water,  I  wish 
to  ask  which  of  these  ways  you  think  is  the  best 
one,"  said  Captain  Gildrock. 

''  The  stone  posts,"  replied  Bolly  promptly. 
"  With  only  about  four  feet  of  water  I  think  there 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  chinking  them  up  at  the 
bottom." 

For  an  hour  longer  the  boys  continued  to  ask 
questions,  and  Bolly  was  not  caught  in  anything, 
though  it  is  probable  that  the  architect  or  civil 
engineer  could  easily  have  tripped  him  up  if  they 
had  chosen  to  do  so.  But  the  principal  announced 
the  suspension  of  the  school  for  the  rest  of  the 
forenoon,  in  order  to  convey  the  visitors  to  White- 
hall in  the  steamer. 

Captain  Gildrock  took  up  the  two  fifty-dollar 
bills  he  had  laid  upon  the  desk,  and  turned  to  the 
successful  competitor,  who  had  been  requested  to 
remain  on  the  platform. 

"  As  I  said  in  the  beginning,  I  cannot  allow  the 
money  obtained  for  the  plans  to  be  fooled  away, 
for  one  of  the  most  important  lessons  an  American 


Oil,    BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  235 

boy  ought  to  learn  is  how  to  take  care  of  and  use 
money,  as  well  as  how  to  earn  it.  What  do  you 
intend  to  do  with  the  hundred  dollars,  Millweed?" 
asked  the  principal. 

"  I  shall  give  it  to  my  father,"  replied  Bolly 
without  any  hesitation. 

"  That  is  an  excellent  use  to  make  of  it,  and 
I  hand  it  over  to  you  without  asking  any  more 
questions,"  added  the  principal,  suiting  the  action 
to  the  words. 

A  round  of  applause  saluted  Bolly  again.  He 
had  gone  up  a  hundred  degrees  in  the  estimation 
of  his  companions,  who  had  been  unable  to  corner 
him  with  their  questions.  The  order  was  given 
for  the  boys  to  put  on  their  steamer  uniform,  and 
take  their  stations  on  board  of  the  Sylph.  Bates 
had  already  got  up  steam,  and  a  plentiful  supply 
of  provisions  had  been  put  on  board.  In  half  an 
hour  the  steam  yacht  departed,  and  everything  on 
board  of  her  went  along  in  as  good  order  as 
though  she  had  been  a  regular  packet  on  the  lake. 
The  passengers  were  to  dine  on  board,  and  cooks 
and  stewards  went  to  work  in  their  departments  at 
once. 

The  excursion  was  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  the 
guests  spent  most  of  the  time  on  the  way  up 


236  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

in  talking  with  the  boys  in  regard  to  what  they 
had  learned  at  the  school.  They  were  delighted 
with  the  institution,  and  Mr.  Bridges  declared 
that  the  States  could  not  do  better  than  to  establish 
such  schools  in  place  of  some  of  those  in  which 
Greek  and  Latin  were  the  principal  branches 
taught. 

Mr.  Flint  pointed  out  to  the  principal  a  few 
details  in  which  he  thought  Bolly's  plan  could  be 
improved,  and  after  making  these  alterations  he 
intended  to  erect  the  building  at  once. 

"  But  you  do  not  expect  those  boys  to  do  all  the 
work?"  suggested  Mr.  Ritchie. 

"  I  expect  them  to  do  nearly  the  whole  of  it. 
When  I  return  I  shall  set  the  quarrymen  to  getting 
out  the  stone  posts.  I  shall  go  to  Burlington  at 
once,  for  Brookbine  is  arranging  the  plan  for  fram- 
ing the  building,  and  will  give  me  a  list  of  the  lum- 
ber needed,  and  purchase  it.  The  boys  will  tow  it 
down  in  rafts,  though  I  shall  employ  a  number  of 
laborers,  for  I  don't  wish  to  let  the  boys  injure 
themselves." 

"  But  it  will  take  a  long  time  to  put  up  and 
finish  the  building,"  added  Mr.  Bridges. 

"  I  don't  expect  to  have  it  completed  until  next 
spring.  We  shall  finish  the  outside  by  Decem- 


OK,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  237 

ber,  and  make  a  winter's  job  of  the  inside 
work." 

At  Whitehall  the  visitors,  except  Mr.  Ritchie, 
took  their  leave  of  the  boys,  and  went  on  shore, 
promising  to  come  again  the  next  season.  The 
students  gave  them  three  cheers  as  they  landed,  and 
then  the  Sylph  began  her  homeward  trip.  As  she 
passed  Sandy  Beach  Cove,  the  barges  of  the 
Chesterfields  were  seen  pulling  out  from  the  shore. 
It  was  soon  evident  that  they  wished  to  speak  with 
those  on  board  of  the  steamer.  Oscar  Chester, 
the  second  pilot,  at  the  request  of  the  principal, 
rang  to  stop  her,  and  the  Dasher  came  up  to 
the  forward  gangway. 

"  I  should  like  to  speak  to  the  coxswains  of  the 
barges,"  said  Mad  Twinker,  who  appeared  to  be 
the  commodore  of  the  fleet. 

*  I  am  the  coxswain  of  the  Gildrock,"  replied 
Matt  Randolph,  at  a  nod  from  the  principal. 

"  We  have  two  boats  like  yours,  and  we  have 
been  learning  to  row,"  said  Mad  Twinker.  "  We 
think  we  can  pull  pretty  well  now,  though  there" 
is  room  for  improvement,  we  grant.  We  desire 
to  extend  to  you  a  friendly  invitation  to  row  with 
us  for  a  suitable  prize." 

"Young  man,"  interposed  Captain  Gildrock,  "  I 


238  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

cannot  allow  the  Beech  Hill  students  to  row  with 
you  at  present." 

"Why  not,  sir?"  asked  Mad  Tvvinker,  appar- 
ently astonished  at  this  interference. 

"  Although  they  are  likely  to  become  mechanics, 
most  of  them,  I  wish  them  to  be  gentlemen  at  the 
same  time,  and  I  am  rather  careful  with  whom 
I  allow  them  to  associate." 

"  But  we  claim  to  be  gentlemen,  sir,"  exclaimed 
Mad,  indignantly. 

"  The  claim  is  not  admitted.  When  our  boys 
first  saw  you  the  other  day  you  called  them 
'  members  of  the  Tinkers'  Institute,'  '  chip-makers,' 
'  greasers,'  and  many  other  offensive  epithets. 
You  stole  their  clothes  while  they  were  in  the 
water,  and  since  that  you  attempted  with  your 
associates,  the  Topovers,  to  steal  our  boats.  When 
you  have  learned  to  be  true  gentlemen,  I  will 
withdraw  all  objection.  Go  ahead,  pilot !  " 

The  commodore  of  the  barge  fleet  wanted  to 
discuss  the  matter,  but  the  Sylph  steamed  away 
before  he  had  a  chance  to  get  in  a  word.  Ben 
Ludlow  thought  they  were1  even  with  the  Chester- 
fields then,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  boys  were 
looking  over  the  site  of  the  boat-house  and 
wharf. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   NEW    CAPTAIN    OF   THE    SYLPH. 

"A/TR.  BROOKBINE  had  been  hard  at  work 
over  the  plan  of  the  building  in  getting  the 
amount  of  timber  required  for  the  frame.  Captain 
Gildrock  had  assured  him  that  no  material  change 
would  be  made  in  the  drawing  of  Bolly.  They 
might  alter  the  arrangement  of  the  store-rooms, 
and  use  a  portion  of  the  immense  vestibule  on 
the  second  floor  for  a  library,  or  committee-room. 

Bolly  had  suggested  a  gallery  or  balcony  on  the 
water  side  of  the  second  story,  which  might  be 
added,  but  none  of  these  changes  would  affect  the 
frame.  When  the  captain  returned  from  White- 
hall the  master  carpenter  gave  him  the  list  of 
timber  required  for  the  frame. 

The  granite  quarry  in  the  rear  of  Beech  Hill 
was  owned  by  the  shipmaster,  and  about  all  the 
building-stone  used  in  Genverres  was  taken  from 
it.  The  owner  did  not  care  to  be  bothered  with 
it,  and  a  quarryman  managed  it,  paying  so  much 
a  cubic  foot  for  all  the  stone  taken  out  of  it. 

2.10 


240  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

Thirteen  stone  posts  would  be  required  for  the 
Water-foundations  of  the  boat-house,  and  Captain 
Gildrock  rode  to  the  quarryman's  house  at  once  to 
order  them.  Early  the  next  morning  the  princi- 
pal went  to  Burlington,  and  ordered  the  lumber. 
Before  breakfast,  Bolly,  assisted  by  the  other  stu- 
dents, staked  out  the  building.  The  approximate 
positions  of  the  foundation  posts  were  indicated 
by  mooring  sticks  with  stones  in  the  bay.  But 
the  lessons  went  on  as  usual,  and  the  boating  and 
swimming  exercises  were  not  interrupted. 

The  boys  were  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  were  im- 
patient for  the  actual  work  of  the  house  to  begin. 
The  more  they  considered  the  plan  which  had  been 
adopted  the  better  they  liked  it.  All  the  plans 
which  had  been  offered  for  the  prizes  were  re- 
turned to  the  makers  of  them  ;  but  quite  a  number 
of  the  competitors  destroyed  them  as  soon  as  they 
got  hold  of  them,  and  no  one  but  themselves  and 
the  committee  ever  knew  what  blunders  they  had 
made.  Yet  a  few  of  them  were  not  ashamed  to 
exhibit  their  work. 

Not  a  single  one  of  them  had  selected  the  loca- 
tion chosen  by  Bolly  Millweed.  Some  of  them 
had  bridged  the  lake,  and  put  the  boat-house  over 
in  the  grove,  but  most  of  them  had  placed  it  near 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  241 

the  old  wharf.  One  admitted  that  he  had  made 
the  structure  two  hundred  feet  long,  with  dressing- 
rooms  ten  feet  square. 

For  a  wreek  the  principal  said  nothing  about  the 
new  building,  except  that  he  had  ordered  the  lum- 
ber. The  boys  knew  that  the  quarryman  was  at 
work  with  all  his  force  on  the  foundations,  and 
they  were  nearly  ready.  At  the  close  of  the 
school  on  Friday,  about  a  week  after  the  adoption 
of  the  plans,  the  principal  took  his  place  on  the 
platform. 

"To-morrow  will  be  our  usual  day  for  a  steamer 
trip,  but  I  will  change  the  programme  a  little," 
said  he.  "  We  shall  go  to  Burlington  and  tow  the 
wharf-caisson,  or  box,  up  to  the  quarry.  I  con- 
cluded to  have  this  affair  constructed  by  a  bridge- 
builder  at  Burlington,  for  it  was  rather  too  heavy  a 
job  for  boys  to  manage." 

The  boys  manifested  their  satisfaction  at  the 
announcement  by  applause.  It  would  be  fun  to 
tow  the  caisson  up  the  lake,  and  get  it  through  the 
creek,  to  the  quarry.  But  why  was  it  going  to 
the  quarry  ? 

"  We  shall  load  the  thirteen  stone  posts  upon  it, 
and  bring  them  down  all  at  once,"  replied  the 
principal  in  answer  to  this  question.  "  It  is  built 


242  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

of  tun  timber,  and  the  sticks  needed  to  raise  it  to 
the  proper  height  as  a  wharf  will  be  placed  inside 
of  it." 

"  Tun  timber ;  what  is  that?"  asked  Ben  Ludlow. 

"  It  is  a  name  given  to  timber  a  foot  square  or 
more." 

"  How  about  the  slant  for  the  bottom  ?  "  asked 
Bolly,  with  some  anxiety  on  his  face,  for  he  was 
afraid  his  idea  in  its  construction  had  not  been  car- 
ried out. 

"I  had  it  built  in  accordance  with  the  sketch 
you  gave  me.  If  you  look  at  the  chart,  boys," 
continued  Captain  Gildrock,  pointing  to  it  on  the 
wall,  "you  will  see  that  the  water  suddenly  shoals 
six  feet  at  the  distance  of  forty  feet  from  Chowder 
Point.  In  other  words  there  is  a  step  of  that 
height  in  the  rock,  such  a  one  as  you  may  see  just 
beyond  the  dormitory  in  the  side  of  Beech  Hill. 
Bolly  has  located  the  wharf  outside  of  this  step, 
where  he  found  ten  feet  of  water." 

"  But  the  bottom  slants  off  six  inches  in  twelve 
feet,"  added  Bolly. 

w  And  I  had  the  bottom  of  the  caisson  built  to 
fit  this  slant,"  continued  the  principal. 

"  That 's  all  I  wanted  to  know,"  said  Bolly,  sat- 
isfied that  his  intention  had  been  carried  out. 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  243 

School  was  dismissed,  but  after  dinner  the  usual 
work  in  the  shop  was  done.  The  boys  were  mak- 
ing-as  many  tool-boxes  as  there  were  students,  for 
they  would  be  needed  while  they  were  at  work  on 
the  boat-house.  An  hour  earlier  than  usual  on 
her  Saturday  trips  the  Sylph  started  for  Burling- 
ton, for  it  might  take  all  day  to  get  the  caisson 
up  to  the  quarry.  But  there  was  no  change  made 
in  the  organization  of  the  ship's  company,  and 
everything  went  on  as  usual. 

They  found  the  caisson  in  the  water  just  below 
the  city,  Avhere  it  had  been  built,  and  the  boys 
gave  three  cheers  when  they  saw  it.  Bolly  was 
an  "  idler  ;  "  that  is,  his  watch  was  not  on  duty  in 
the  fire-room.  He  leaped  from  the  gangway  as 
the  steamer  came  alongside  of  the  structure,  and 
inspected  it  with  the  greatest  gravity  and  dignity. 
In  answer  to  the  question  of  the  principal  he  de- 
clared that  the  caisson  was  all  right  in  every 
respect. 

After  the  boys  had  examined  the  caisson,  all 
hands  were  called  and  assembled  on  the  forward 
deck.  The  principal  had  a  letter  in  his  hand 
which  had  been  handed  to  him  since  the  arrival  of 
the  Sylph.  He  informed  the  students  that  he  had 
intended  to  remain  on  board  during  the  trip,  but 


244  SQUARE    AND   COMPARES  ; 

some  bank  business  of  the  greatest  importance  re- 
quired him  to  remain  in  the  city  till  afternoon. 
He  should  return  to  Beech  Hill  on  the  train,  and 
expected  to  be  there  by  the  time  the  steamer 
reached  the  river. 

The  principal  was  the  captain  of  the  steamer, 
and  he  had  always  been  on  board  during  the  Sat- 
urday trips.  He  sometimes  sent  Dory  Domwood 
away  in  her,  with  Mr.  Jepson  in  charge  of  the 
engine,  a  gardener  doing  duty  as  fireman,  and 
Bates  as  deck  hand ;  but  she  had  never  come  out 
of  the  river  with  her  regular  ship's  company  on 
board  in  the  absence  of  the  captain.  The  stu- 
dents jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  Dory  would 
be  made  captain  on  the  present  occasion. 

"The  organization  of  the  ship's  company  will 
remain  just  as  it  is,"  said  Captain  Gildrock.  "  You 
have  learned  to  obey  your  officers  even  if  you 
think  you  know  more  than  they  do  ;  and  this  was 
a  very  valuable  lesson  to  learn." 

"It's  Captain  Dory  Dornwood  now,  I  suppose," 
suggested  Life  Windham,  as  all  hands  glanced  at 
the  first  pilot. 

"Not  at  all,"  replied  the  principal.  "On  sea 
steamers  they  don't  have  pilots,  for  the  captain 
navigates  the  vessel.  The  pilots  on  river  and  lake 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  245 

steamers  are  a  sort  of  independent  officials.  In 
our  plan  the  first  pilot  is  the  fourth  in  rank,  and 
if  the  captain  should  be  lost  overboard,  he  would 
not  succeed  to  the  command.  The  first  officer  is 
next  to  the  captain,  and  he  takes  charge  of  the 
steamer  in  the  absence  of  the  captain." 

"  Thad  Glovering !  "  exclaimed  half  a  dozen  stu- 
dents in  the  same  breath. 

"  Glovering  will  be  the  captain  in  my  absence, 
and  you  will  respect  and  obey  him  accordingly," 
added  the  principal.  "Captain  Glovering,  you 
will  tow  the  caisson  to  the  quarry,  and  I  must 
leave  at  once." 

"  Three  cheers  for  Captain  Glovering  ! "  called 
Ben  Ludlovv  ;  and  they  were  given. 

Captain  Gildrock  went  on  shore,  and  disap- 
peared at  once.  Some  of  the  first-class  students 
did  not  like  it  very  well  to  have  a  second-class 
fellow  put  in  as  captain  over  them  ;  but  they  were 
too  well  disciplined  to  find  any  fault. 

"  Of  course  Dory  will  have  to  show  him  how  to 
do  it,"  said  Bob  S wanton. 

"  The  captain  can  ask  the  advice  of  anyone  he 
likes,  but  he  can  do  as  he  pleases,"  added  Corny 
Minkfield,  rather  smartly. 

But  Thad  did  not   ask  anybody's  advice  just 


246  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

then.  In  spite  of  some  gentle  sarcasm  uttered  by 
the  older  boys,  the  new  captain  soon  showed  that 
he  knew  what  he  was  about.  The  large  hawser 
by  which  the  caisson  was  to  be  towed  lay  on  the 
top  of  the  timbers  with  which  it  was  loaded,  the 
upper  ones  serving  as  a  deck.  It  had  been  made 
fast  to  a  huge  pin  in  the  centre  of  one  end,  indi- 
cating that  the  box  was  to  be  towed  by  a  single  line. 

There  were  also  big  cleats  at  the  four  corners  of 
the  structure,  placed  there  for  the  stays  to  the 
derrick.  The  new  captain  directed  the  second 
officer  to  take  two  hawsers  and  make  one  fast  to 
each  of  the  corner  cleats.  Will  Orwell  obeyed 
the  order,  and  the  other  ends  of  the  hawsers  were 
sent  on  board  the  Sylph.  They  were  carefully 
secured  to  cleats  in  the  stern  of  the  steamer. 

"Go  ahead,  if  you  please,  pilot,"  said  Thad, 
when  all  was  ready. 

The  propeller  was  put  in  motion,  but  it  required 
a  little  time  to  start  the  heavy  tow.  When  it  did 
start,  it  butted  against  the  corner  of  the  wharf. 
The  first-class  students  thought  the  time  of  the 
new  captain's  defeat  had  come. 

"  Stop  her ! "  shouted  Thad,  as  soon  as  he  dis- 
covered the  nature  of  the  difficulty.  "  Cast  off  the 
port  tow-line,  Mr.  Orwell !" 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  247 

*'  Port  line  clear,  sir,"  reported  the  second  offi- 
cer, now  doing  duty  as  first. 

"Go  ahead,  Mr.  Pilot!" 

Dory  at  the  wheel  rang  the  bell,  and  the  propel- 
ler began  to  turn  again.  As  soon  as  he  got  steer- 
age way,  he  headed  the  steamer  away  from  the 
shore.  The  starboard  line  was  now  doing  all  the 
work,  and  exercised  all  its  force  on  that  side  of 
the  caisson.  Of  course  it  hauled  the  tow  away 
from  the  wharf.  But  the  captain  stopped  her  as 
soon  as  the  box  was  clear  of  the  obstruction.  The 
port  line  was  made  fast  again,  and  care  was  taken 
to  see  that  both  tow-ropes  were  of  the  same 
length. 

The  first  class  were  willing  to  admit  that  the 
getting  under  way  had  been  well  managed,  and 
they  were  magnanimous  enough  to  give  the  new 
captain  the  credit  he  deserved.  The  Sylph 
tugged  away  at  her  heavy  burden,  and  the  log 
showed,  when  the  steamer  was  off  Rock  Dunder, 
that  she  was  making  about  three  knots.  There 
was  nothing  more  to  be  done  with  the  tow,  though 
the  rate  of  speed  was  soon  increased  to  four  knots. 

It  was  a  monotonous  trip,  but  everything  was 
in  the  usual  order  on  board.  Dinner  was  served 
at  the  proper  time,  and  at  three  o'  clock  the  Sylph 


248  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES. 

was  approaching  the  mouth  of  the  river.  When 
she  was  within  half  a  mile  of  it  the  second  pilot, 
who  was  on  duty,  reported  that  the  barges  of  the 
Chesterfields  were  coming  out  of  the  stream. 

"I  am  sorry  for  that,"  said  Dory  Dornwood,  as 
he  went  into  the  pilot-house  to  take  a  look  at  the 
approach  of  the  boats. 

"  So  am  I,"  replied  Oscar  Chester.  "  I  wish 
you  were  in  command  instead  of  Thad  Glover- 
ing." 

"Thad  will  do  very  well,"  answered  Dory. 

"  Those  fellows  can't  let  us  alone  if  they  try. 
What 's  that  ?  They  have  passengers  in  the  stern 
sheets." 

Dory  took  a  spy  glass  from  the  brackets  and 
glanced  at  the  barges. 

"  They  have  eight  of  the  Topovers  with  them." 

"  You  will  see  most  of  that  crowd  on  board  the 
caisson  before  long,"  said  Oscar.  "  They  will  cut 
the  tow-lines  or  cast  them  off  if  they  can." 

At  this  moment  Captain  Glovering  entered  the 
pilot-house. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   FIRST   OFFICER    AND   PARTY   IN   BATTLE 
ARRAY. 


fTTHE  feeling  which  had  grovyn  up  between  the 
Beech  Hill  and  the  Chesterfield  students  was 
not  hatred,  enmity,  or  even  ill  will.  When  they 
first  met  near  Sandy  Beach  neither  party  could 
have  had  anything  against  the  other.  No  tradi- 
tional hatred  had  been  handed  down,  for  both 
institutions  were  new. 

The  Chesterfield  Collegiate  Institute  was  estab- 
lished only  a  year  before,  and  was  intended  to  be  a 
very  high-toned  establishment,  judged  by  the 
society  standard.  The  boys  were  generally  the 
sons  of  rich  men  or  merchants,  with  a  standing  in 
the  world  ;  and  Colonel  Buckmill  catered  for  this 
class.  Everything  about  the  school  was  genteel, 
and  the  boys  had  been  taught  to  "  feel  their  oats." 

In  accordance  with  their  education  they  naturally 
looked  down  upon  farmers,  mechanics,  and  small 
shopkeepers.  They  were  gentlemen,  and  the 
sons  of  gentlemen,  the  principal  said,  and  he 

.  249 


250  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

treated  them  as  such.  Out  of  this  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  students  had  come  the  bad  conduct  of 
the  Chesterfields  at  their  mvst  meeting  with  the 
Beech  Killers.  They  expected,  and  probably 
received  from  the  country  people  in  their  imme- 
diate vicinity,  a  certain  degree  of  deference,  for 
the  institute  was  a  good  customer  to  all  who  had 
anything  to  sell. 

Doubtless  the  possession  of  the  new  boats  had 
excited  them  to  a  degree  which  made  them  some- 
what reckless  when  they  were  away  from  the  influ- 
ences that  surrounded  them  at  the  school.  But 
even  in  the  offensive  epithets  they  had  applied  to 
the  students  from  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  they 
meant  no  evil.  When  they  were  treated  with  the 
contempt  of  silence  they  felt  like  great  men  Mho 
had  been  neglected,  and  they  wanted  to  make 
themselves  felt. 

But  they  had  been  beaten  with  their  own 
weapons,  and  the  desire  to  humiliate  their  school- 
neighbors  was  increased.  They  wanted  to  get  the 
Beech  Killers  into  some  sort  of  a  scrape,  to  annoy 
them  all  they  could,  and  though  the  Topovers 
were  not  at  all  after  their  style,  they  were  glad  to 
make  friends  with  them  for  the  time,  in  order  to 
accomplish  their  purpose. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  251 

It  looked  as  though  the  Chesterfields  had  come 
across  the  lake  for  the  purpose  of  doing  mischief 
to  their  conquerors  in  the  two  former  contests. 
They  could  hardly  have  come  to  give  the  Topovers 
a  pleasure  excursion  in  their  elegant  barges,  and 
their  presence  in  the  boats  made  it  appear  that 
they  meant  mischief. 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  Beech  Hill 
students  generally  enjoyed  these  meetings  with 
the  enemy,  as  they  regarded  the  Chesterfields,  for 
the  contests  with  them  were  full  of  excitement 
and  fun.  But  on  the  present  occasion  they  were 
too  full  of  building,  too  much  interested  in  the 
enterprise  of  moving  the  timber  from  Burlington 
to  the  quarry,  to  care  for  a  battle  with  the  young 
gentlemen  from  the  other  side. 

Most  of  the  students  wished  that  Dory  Dorn- 
wood  were  in  command  of  the  steamer,  for  he  had 
twice  proved  that  ne  was  more  than  a  match  in 
skill  for.  the  Chesterfields.  As  it  was,  Captain 
Thad  Glovering  was  the  autocrat  of  the  occasion. 
All  hands  must  obey  his  orders,  even  if  they  led 
to  the  most  disastrous  failure.  Mr.  Jepson  was 
the  only  adult  on  board ;  and  in  his  present  ca- 
pacity of  chief  engineer  of  the  steamer,  he  was 
as  much  under  the  orders  of  the  captain  as  any  of 


252  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

the  bo3's.  He  simply  minded  his  own  business, 
and  did  his  best  to  instruct  his  two  assistants  in 
the  structure  and  management  of  the  engine, 
hoping  the  time  would  soon  come  when  he  could 
be  relieved  from  his  somewhat  disagreeable  posi- 
tion. 

Captain  Glovering  saw  that  the  Chesterfields 
were  making  for  the  caisson  with  all  the  speed  of 
their  boats.  They  would  not  attempt  to  meddle 
with  the  steamer,  but  they  could  put  the  Topovers 
on  the  caisson,  and  the  first  thing  they  would  do 
would  be  to  cast  off  the  hawsers.  They  were 
cutting  across  the  shoal  water,  and  would  come 
out  in  time  to  intercept  the  tow. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  now,  Dory  ?  "  asked 
Oscar  Chester,  in  the  pilot-house. 

"  Of  course  those  fellows  mean  to  pay  off  the 
old  score  if  they  can,"  replied  the  first  pilot.  "I 
doubt  if  we  are  ever  on  good  terms  with  the 
Chesterfields,  as  I  wish  we  could  be." 

"  I  suppose  they  don't  feel  any  better  towards 
us  after  what  the  principal  said  to  them  when  they 
hailed  the  steamer,  and  wanted  to  get  up  a  race. 
They  are  the  sons  of  the  magnates  of  the  land, 
and  it  was  rough  for  Captain  Gildrock  to  tell  them 
they  were  not  gentlemen,  and  that  he  would  not 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  253 

allow  us  to  associate  with  them  for  that  reason," 
added  Oscar,  chuckling,  for  all  hands  had  enjoyed 
the  snubbing  which  the  principal  had  given 
them. 

"  My  uncle  told  them  the  simple  truth,  though 
it  was  hard  for  them  to  digest,"  replied  Dory,  as 
he  glanced  at  the  two  barges. 

"  Don't  you  think  you  ought  to  have  a  talk  with 
Thad  Glovering,  Dory?"  asked  Oscar,  after  he 
had  watched  the  approaching  barges  for  a  moment. 
"  He  don't  seem  to  be  doing  anything,  and  in 
ten  minutes  more  we  shall  have  to  pick  up  the 
tow." 

"If  Captain  Glovering  asks  my  advice,  I  shall 
give  it  to  him ;  but  not  without.  I  have  no  more 
right  to  meddle  with  his  business  than  any  other 
fellow,"  replied  Dory,  very  decidedly.  "  If  I 
were  in  his  place  I  should  not  want  every  fellow 
putting  his  finger  in  my  pie.  He  is  responsible 
for  the  steamer  and  the  tow ;  and  in  my  opinion 
Thad  knows  what  he  is  about." 

Captain  Glovering  was  on  the  hurricane  deck, 
watching  the  approach  of  the  boats.  He  did  not 
seem  to  be  at  all  nervous  or  uneasy  in  regard  to 
the  situation.  The  Sylph  was  just  beginning  to 
round  in  so  as  to  strike  the  channel.  On  the 


254  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

other  side  of  it  the  water  was  only  from  one  to 
three  feet  deep,  and  the  caisson  would  make  a 
wide  sweep  in  coming  about. 

"  If  the  tow  should  get  adrift  here  it  would 
ground  in  shoal  water,"  said  Dory,  as  he  glanced 
again  at  the  approaching  barges. 

"  Captain  Glovering  has  just  called  Will  Orwell, 
and  he  means  to  do  something.  It  is  time  somer 
thing  was  done,"  replied  Oscar. 

The  acting  first  officer  had  come  on  the  hurricane 
deck,  and  the  captain  was  apparently  giving  him 
some  orders.  Will  hastened  to  the  forward  deck 
again.  All  hands  were  called  ;  and  this  summons 
included  all  who  were  not  actually  on  duty  in  the 
engine  and  firerooms  or  the  pilot-house,  for  the 
work  of  the  cooks  and  stewards  was  finished  for 
that  day. 

Will  selected  eight  of  them  and  sent  them  to 
the  stern  of  the  steamer.  It  was  evident  that 
something  was  to  be  done,  and  the  students 
wondered  what  it  was.  The  captain  was  not 
asleep,  and  it  was  clear  that  he  was  conscious  of 
the  perils  of  the  tow.  Thad  had  observed  with 
admiration  the  conduct  of  Dory  in  the  former  en- 
gagements with  the  Chesterfields  and  Topovers, 
and  he  had  strictly  obeyed  every  order  without 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  255 

asking  a  question.  He  was  glad  of  the  present 
opportunity  to  distinguish  himself,  and  he  hoped 
to  give  a  good  account  of  himself. 

"  Mr.  Pilot,  I  wish  you  would  hug  the  port  side 
of  the  channel,  and  get  the  tow  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  shoal  water,"  said  Captain  Glovering, 
entering  the  pilot-house  as  soon  as  he  had  given 
his  orders  to  the  first  officer.  "  I  wish  to  stop  her 
as  soon  as  possible." 

"I  have  been  doing  that,  Captain  Glovering," 
replied  Dory.  "  It  will  be  safe  to  stop  her  as 
soon  as  you  give  the  order." 

"  Thank  you,"  added  the  captain,  with  more  po- 
liteness than  is  usual  on  board  of  vessels. 

Captain  Glovering  hastened  to  the  stern  of  the 
hurricane  deck  where  he  could  see  the  tow.  Will 
and  his  eidht  hands  were  on  the  rail  readv  to  do 

O  v 

the  duty  intrusted  to  them.  The  captain  called  to 
the  pilot  to  stop  her.  The  order  was  promptly 
obeyed,  but  the  headway  of  the  Sylph  kept  her  at 
the  same  relative  distance  from  the  caisson.  Then 
a  few  strokes  back  were  called  for.  The  first 
officer  had  put  fenders  over  the  stern ;  but  the 
captain  did  not  allow  the  tow  to  come  in  contact 
with  the  steamer. 

As  soon  as  the  caisson  was  near  enough,  Will 


256  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

and  his  party  leaped  on  board  of  it.  The  captain 
had  given  the  order  to  go  ahead  before  they  did 
so.  The  steamer  straightened  the  tow-lines,  and 
in  a  few  moments  everything  was  moving  on  as 
before.  The  wind  was  light  from  the  northwest, 
and  Dory  hugged  the  weather  side  of  the  channel ; 
but  the  Sylph  was  still  half  a  mile  from  the  nearest 
point  of  land  at  the  entrance  of  the  river. 

"  The  captain  has  done  something,  but  I  have  n't 
the  least  idea  what  it  is,"  said  Oscar,  as  the  tow- 
lines  began  to  stretch. 

"  Neither  have  I,  for  I  have  not  even  looked 
behind  me  to  see  what  he  was  about,"  replied  the 
first  pilot,  who  never  neglected  his  own  duty  to 
attend  to  other  people's  business. 

"He  has  put  the  first  officer  and  eight  of  the 
fellows  on  board  of  the  caisson,"  added  Oscar. 
"But  there  are  thirty-five  fellows  in  the  barges, 
and  the  captain  don't  expect  to  beat  them  off  with 
only  nine  of  ours.  I  wonder  he  did  not  send  the 
whole  crowd  except  what  are  needed  to  work  the 
steamer." 

"Don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  criticise,  Oscar." 
laughed  Dory,  without  even  looking  out  at  the 
rear  windows  of  the  pilot-house  to  see  what  the 
captain  was  about. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  257 

"  Does  Thad  Glovering  expect  nine  of  our 
fellows  to  whip  four  times  their  number?"  de- 
manded the  second  pilot,  who  was  evidently 
beginning  to  be  somewhat  excited.  "  We  are  not 
going  more  than  three  knots  now,  and  the  Chester- 
fields can  have  it  all  their  own  way.  Our  fellows 
can't  do  anything  on  the  caisson  when  the  barges 
pour  in  twenty  or  thirty  fellows  upon  them ;  and 
the  Topovers  are  fighting  men." 

"Keep  cool,  Oscar,"  said  Dory,  smiling. 

"  Do  you  know  what  the  captain's  plan  is, 
Dory?"  asked  the  second  pilot  nervously. 

"I  do  not ;  I  have  not  the  first  idea  in  regard  to 
it,"  answered  Dory.  "But  I  think  you  had  better 
go  astern  where  you  can  see  what  is  going  on. 
If  there  is  going  to  be  a  fight  Captain  Glovering 
will  certainly  want  you ;  and  you  may  have  a 
chance  to  tackle  Tom  Topover." 

"  I  should  like  the  chance,"  said  Oscar,  as  he 
left  the  pilot-house. 

By  this  time  the  barges  were  within  a  few  rods 
of  the  caisson.  One  was  bearing  down  upon  the 
stern,  and  the  other  upon  the  starboard  side  of  it. 
Mad  Twinker,  who  was  leading  in  the  Dasher, 
was  evidently  the  commodore  of  the  squadron,  for 
he  gave  orders  to  Jeff  Monroe  in  the  Eacer.  He 


258  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

clearly  had  a  plan,  and  intended  to  capture  the 
caisson,  or  at  least  to  set  it  adrift. 

In  the  bow  of  the  commodore's  barge  was  Tom 
Topover  and  Nim  Splugger,  ready  to  leap  on 
board  of  the  expected  prize.  In  the  Racer,  Kidd 
Digfield  and  Pell  Sankland  occupied  the  corre- 
sponding positions.  The  other  Topovers  were 
seated  in  the  rear  of  their  leaders,  and  were  to 
follow  them  in  the  boarding  exploit. 

When  the  barges  were  within  fifty  feet  of  the 
caisson  the  captain's  plan  was  suddenly  developed. 
On  the  top  of  the  timber  were  a  dozen  long  pike- 
poles,  which  Captain  Gildrock  had  ordered  at  Bur- 
lington. Each  one  was  armed  with  a  sharp  spike 
in  one  end.  They  were  to  be  used  in  raising  the 
building,  and  in  managing  the  caisson  in  the  narrow 
creek. 

At  the  word  from  Will  Orwell,  each  of  the  nine 
students  picked  up  a  pike,  and  poised  it  in  the 
direction  of  the  approaching  barges. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  RESULT  OF  THE  BATTLE  ON  THE  CAISSON. 

/COMMODORE  MAD  TWINKER  could  not 
^"^  help  seeing  the  preparations  on  board  of  the 
caisson  for  the  reception  of  his  party.  He  saw 
the  pike-poles,  but  he  could  not  know  that  the 
ends  were  armed  with  spikes.  Doubtless  he  sup- 
posed the  weapons  were  simply  to  be  used  in 
shoving  the  barges  away  from  the  tow. 

Oscar  Chester  saw  at  a  glance,  when  the  party 
on  the  caisson  picked  up  the  pikes,  that  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Sylph  was  likely  to  make  bad  work 
with  the  boats  of  the  enemy.  He  walked  forward 
to  the  pilot-house  and  reported  to  Dory  the  state 
of  things,  for  the  first  pilot  had  not  yet  looked 
astern. 

"Will  Orwell's  party  can  stave  their  boats  all  to 
pieces  in  less  than  two  minutes,"  added  Oscar, 
somewhat  excited  still. 

"  I  hope  he  will  not  have  occasion  to  do  that,'* 
added  Dory.  "The  Chesterfields  can  see  for 
themselves  that  the  iron  points  will  go  through 

259 


260  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

the  cedar  planking  as  if  it  were  nothing  but 
paper." 

"  I  don't  think  they  know  that  the  poles  are 
armed  with  spikes." 

"  They  can  see  what  they  are  in  season  to  back 
out,"  added  Dory,  as  Oscar  returned  to  the  stern 
of  the  steamer  to  watch  the  proceedings,  and  take 
a  part  in  them,  if  required. 

"Keep  off!  keep  off!"  shouted  Will  Orwell,  as 
the  Dasher  approached  the  caisson. 

Instead  of  heeding  this  warning,  the  Chester- 
fields gave  three  cheers,  as  though  the  victory 
were  already  won,  and  they  had  possession  of  the 
caisson.  The  commodore  quickened  the  move- 
ments of  his  oarsmen,  and  the  Topovers  in  the 
bows  of  the  boat  were  all  ready  to  spring  upon 
the  prize. 

"Keep  off,  or  we  will  stave  your  boats  all  to 
pieces ! "  shouted  the  first  officer,  louder  and 
more  vigorously  than  before. 

A  yell  of  derision  greeted  him,  and  the  barges 
still  advanced  to  the  destruction  that  awaited  them. 

"  These  poles  have  an  iron  spike  in  the  end,  and 
they  will  go  through  your  boats  every  time ! 
Keep  off,  or  your  boats  will  be  spoiled  !  "  shouted 
Will  Orwell ;  and  certainly  the  Chesterfields  could 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  2(51 

not  complain  that  they  had  not  had  sufficient 
warning. 

The  first  officer  was  very  reluctant  to  do  any 
damage  if  the  enemy  could  be  repulsed  in  any 
other  way.  He  placed  himself  at  the  point  where 
the  Dasher  was  likely  to  come  in  contact  with  the 
caisson,  and  held  up  his  pike-pole  so  that  the 
reckless  assailants  could  see  what  it  was. 

"  Hold  on  ! "  shouted  Mad  Twinker,  when  his 
craft  came  within  a  short  distance  of  the  intended 
prize.  "  Drop  oars  !  " 

Without  the  action  that  followed  these  orders 
they  would  not  have  been  intelligible  to  those  on 
the  tow.  It  was  evident  that  the  Chesterfields 
did  not  follow  any  known  system,  but  had  invented 
their  own  commands.  The  first  order  meant  for 
the  crew  to  cease  rowing,  and  the  second  to  hold 
water.  These  were  followed  by  an  order  to  back 
her.  Will  hoped  that  the  assailants  had  discovered 
the  wicked  nature  of  the  pikes,  and  were  intending 
to  save  their  boats ;  but  it  was  soon  evident  that 
the  speed  of  the  barges  had  been  checked  so  as  not 
to  stave  the  boats  in  the  collision. 

"  All  ready  forward  there  ! "  shouted  the  cox- 
swain of  the  Dasher.  "  Tumble  them  overboard 
if  they  don't  get  out  of  your  way." 


262  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

"  Let  her  went !  "  screamed  Torn  Topover,  as  he 
stepped  on  the  bow  rails  of  the  boat,  Avhere  he 
balanced  himself  so  that  he  could  leap  readily 
upon  the  caisson. 

The  order  of  the  commodore  indicated  no  sign 
of  relenting,  and  Will  Orwell  realized  that  all  his 
warning  and  explanations  had  done  no  good  in 
opening  the  eyes  of  the  Chesterfields  and  their 
allies.  The  Dasher  was  coming  slowly  up  to  the 
raft,  for  her  speed  had  not  been  fully  checked. 
When  it  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  point  where  he 
stood,  the  first  officer  saw  that  the  time  for  action 
had  come.  With  a  well-directed  lunge  with  his 
pike-pole,  he  drove  the  end  of  it  entirely  through 
the  bow  planking  of  the  barge,  about  on  the  water 
line. 

The  thin  boards  snapped  and  splintered,  and 
the  pikeman  had  some  difficulty  in  withdrawing 
his  weapon  from  the  wound  he  had  made.  The 
force  of  the  blow  had  overcome  what  little  mo- 
mentum the  barge  had,  and  brought  her  to  a 
standstill.  Four  more  pikes  were  ready  to  com- 
plete the  work  of  destruction  the  instant  the  first 
officer  gave  the  order. 

"  There  is  a  hole  stove  in  the  bow  ! "  yelled  the 
bowman  of  the  barge. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  263 

"  Shove  her  ahead  again  !  "  added  Tom  Topover, 
mad  with  excitement. 

"  Row  again  ! "  shouted  Mad  Twinker  to  his 
crew  ;  and  this  order  made  it  clear  that  he  did  not 
intend  to  retire  from  the  contest. 

"  Punch  her,  Lew  ! "  said  Will,  as  the  barge 
began  to  advance  again.  "  Hit  her  a  little  lower 
than  I  did." 

Lew  Shoreham  was  a  stout  fellow,  and  he 
rammed  his  pike  through  the  other  side  of  the 
bow,  just  below  the  water  line.  The  wound  he 
made  was  a  more  ragged  one  than  the  first,  and 
the  water  poured  into  the  barge  like  a  young  cata- 
ract. But  Mad  promptly  checked  'Jie  movement 
of  the  boat  so  as  to  strike  the  tov  gently,  for  the 
safety  of  his  own  craft. 

The  stem  of  the  barge  had  cbrie  within  three 
feet  of  the  caisson,  and  Tom  Topover  made  a 
flying  leap.  He  was  followed  by  two  others  ;  but 
the  last  one  fell  a  little  short  of  the  mark,  and 
went  into  the  water,  though  he  caught  hold  of  the 
tow  with  his  hands. 

"  Punch  her  again  !  "  added  Will ;  and  as  he  did 
not  indicate  who  was  to  act,  all  four  of  his  party 
obeyed  the  order,  the  oilier  four  being  at  the  stern 
to  receive  the  assailants  of  the  other  boat,  which 


264  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

had  not  yet  come  within  punching  distance  of  the 
caisson. 

The  effect  of  all  these  blows  was  to  riddle  the 
bows  of  the  Dasher,  and  crowd  her  away  from 
the  tow.  As  the  latter  was  now  making  at  least 
three  miles  an  hour,  the  shattered  barge  fell  astern 
of  her  prey.  The  water  was  pouring  in  at  the 
bow  of  the  boat  through  half  a  dozen  ragged 
holes,  and  the  craft  was  settling  rapidly. 

"  We  are  sinking ! "  cried  one  of  the  Chester- 
fields. 

Mad  Twinker  seemed  to  realize  the  situation  by 
this  time,  and  all  his  warlike  energy  evaporated. 
He  called  the  remaining  Topovers  from  the  bow, 
and  several  of  his  crew  from  the  forward  thwarts. 
As  the  boat  had  been  well  down  by  the  head  on 
account  of  the  weight  of  the  five  boarders  who 
had  been  stationed  there,  the  order  of  the  cox- 
swain relieved  the  boat  from  her  peril  immedi- 
ately. But  she  seemed  to  be  half  full  of  water. 

Three  of  the  Topovers  had  secured  a  footing  on 
the  caisson.  All  of  them  struck  on  their  faces, 
and  Will  could  easily  have  rolled  them  into  the 
water;  but  no  attention  was  given  to  them,  and 
they  crawled  out  from  under  the  pikes  of  the  vic- 
torious defenders  of  the  craft.  They  made  their 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  265 

way  to  the  forward  end  of  the  tow  ;  but  the  dis- 
aster to  the  Dasher  disturbed  their  calculations, 
and  suddenly  cooled  their  warlike  enthusiasm. 

"  That  boat  has  had  enough  of  it  for  to-day," 
said  Will  Orwell,  as  he  glanced  at  the  Racer  ap- 
proaching at  the  stern  of  the  caisson. 

"  She  can't  do  anything  more  if  she  tries," 
replied  Lew  Shoreham.  "We  can  make  short 
work  of  the  other  barge." 

But  Jeff  Monroe,  the  coxswain  of  the  Racer, 
was  not  blind.  He  had  been  watching  the  on- 
slaught of  the  Dasher,  and  had  seen  her  bow  rid- 
dled by  the  pikes  of  the  defenders  of  the  caisson. 
He  could  see  her  settled  down  in  the  water  almost 
to  her  gunwale.  Four  pikes  were  poised  ready 
to  inflict  the  same  chastisement  upon  his  own 
craft,  and  against  such  weapons  he  was  powerless 
to  contend.  He  gave  the  order  to  hold  water 
when  the  Racer  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  caisson, 
and  then  to  back  her. 

"  He  has  concluded  not  to  take  his  punching," 
said  Will  Orwell,  who  had  reinforced  the  stern 
with  his  party. 

"  He  would  be  a  fool  if  he  did  not  back  out, 
after  what  he  has  seen,"  added  Lew  Shoreham. 
"  There  won't  be  any  more  music  to-day." 


266  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

"  I  think  not ;  and  the  band  may  put  up  their 
instruments,"  continued  the  first  officer,  as  he 
dropped  his  pike-pole  on  the  timbers.  "Halloo, 
there  !  What  are  you  about  ?  " 

This  sudden  chang^of  tone  on  the  part  of  the 
officer  was  caused  by  the  movements  of  the  Top- 
overs  on  the  tow.  Tom  had  appeared  to  be  some- 
what bewildered  by  the  failure  of  the  expedition 
of  the  Chesterfields,  and  stood  quietly  on  the  for- 
ward end  until  the  Racer  backed  out  and  pulled 
for  her  battered  consort.  While  Will  and  his 
companions  were  watching  the  movements  of  the 
second  barge,  Tom  had  made  a  sudden  dive  at  the 
cleat  on  the  starboard  side,  and  Nim  Splugger 
rushed  to  the  port  one. 

Tom  had  succeeded  in  casting  the  tow  line  on 
his  side  loose,  though  one  fold  of  the  rope  still 
lay  under  the  cleat.  Nim  had  not  yet  been  able 
to  loosen  the  other,  the  .securing  of  which  had 
been  finished  with  a  half-hitch.  Will  and  his 
force  rushed  forward  to  prevent  the  tow-lines  from 
dragging  overboard.  Lew  Shoreham  seized  Nim 
Splugger  by  the  collar  of  his  coat  while  he  was 
still  at  work  on  the  rope. 

"  What  are  you  goin'  to  do  about  it?  "  demanded 
Tom  Topover,  springing  to  his  feet,  and  putting 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  267 

himself  into  a  fighting  attitude.  "  I  can  lick  the 
whole  of  you." 

Will  Orwell  was  no  match  for  such  a  fellow  as 
the  leader  of  the  Topovers,  but  he  rushed  upon 
him,  and  got  a  heavy  blow  in  the  face.  The  sec- 
ond officer  was  not  a  fighting  man,  and,  instead  of 
hitting  back  with  his  fist,  he  threw  himself  upon 
his  antagonist.  Phil  Gawner  went  behind  him, 
and  clasped  his  arms  around  the  neck  of  the  chief 
marauder,  while  Dick  Short  went  for  the  legs  of 
the  bully.  Two  others  got  hold  where  they 
could,  and  all  of  them  succeeded  in  crowding  Tom 
down  upon  the  timbers. 

Lew  Shoreham  had  got  his  victim  under  him, 
and  he  was  strong  enough  to  hold  him  there. 
The  third  Topover,  who  had  been  pressing  the 
water  out  of  his  wet  clothes,  attempted  to  help 
Nim,  but  three  of  the  steamer's  party  went  for  him. 

"That's  no  way  to  fight,"  puffed  Tom  Topover, 
as  he  lay  wriggling  under  the  four  deck  hands. 
"  Let  me  up,  and  I  '11  wallop  the  whole  of  you." 

"AVe  don't  want  to  be  walloped,  and  you  had 
better  stay  where  you  are.  Don't  let  him  up, 
fellows." 

They  did  not,  and  Will  hastened  to  secure  the 
hawser,  which  was  running  overboard.  At  this 


268  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

moment  the  steamer  stopped,  for  Captain  Glover- 
ing  had  closely  observed  all  that  happened  on  the 
caisson.  The  starboard  quarter-boat  of  the  Sylph 
was  lowered  into  the  water.  Will  was  thinking 
what  he  should  do  with  his  prisoners,  when  a  boat 
from  the  steamer  came  alongside.  Oscar  Chester 
was  in  charge  of  it,  with  four  of  the  crew  at  the 
oars. 

As  the  boat  came  alongside,  Oscar  threw  a 
handful  of  small  line  on  the  timbers,  saying  it  was 
the  order  of  the  captain  that  the  arms  of  the  pris- 
oners should  be  bound  behind  ihztf .  The  second 
pilot  sprang  on  board,  and  war-  l>^ppy  to  take  a 
hand  in  the  ceremony,  as  he  railed  it,  though  it 
would  have  pleased  him  better  to  stand  up  alone 
with  the  chief  ruffian. 

As  the  three  Topovers  wrere  held  down,  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  executing  the  order  of  the 
captain.  Tom  swore,  and  was  furious  in  his 
wrath.  Nim  Splugger  struggled  to  escape,  but 
all  of  them  were  secured. 

"  I  am  directed  by  the  captain  to  land  them  on 
the  point,"  said  Oscar,  when  the  operation  was 
completed. 

Tom  protested.  He  should  have  to  walk  two 
miles ;  but  no  time  was  wasted  on  him,  and  he 
was  put  on  shore. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE    INTERVIEW    BETWEEN    THE    TWO    PRINCIPALS. 

A  S  the  Sylph  and  the  tow  had  been  in  motion 
all  the  time  during  the  battle  on  the  caisson, 
they  were  within  a  few  rods  of  the  point.  Tom 
Topover  wanted  Oscar  Chester  to  put  him  on 
board  of  the  Racer,  but  the  request  was  denied. 
The  second  pilot  also  refused  to  unbind  him  and 
his  companions  when  he  landed  them,  for  he  would 
incur  no  risk. 

The  tow-lines  had  been  adjusted,  and  the 
steamer  was  again  making  her  way  up  the  river 
when  the  boat  returned.  Tom  used  a  great  deal 
of  bad  language  when  he  found  himself  standing 
on  the  point  with  his  arms  tied  behind  him.  and 
Oscar  wanted  to  thrash  him,  as  he  was  confident  he 
could,  but  he  obeyed  his  orders  to  the  letter. 

The  two  barges  were  half  a  mile  from  the  point. 
They  had  come  together,  and  the  crew  of  the 
Dasher  were  baling  her  out.  By  keeping  the 
crew  well  astern,  the  ragged  holes  in  the  bow 

269 


270  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

were  raised  above  the  water  line.  The  Topovers 
who  had  been  on  board  of  her  were  transferred  to 
the  Racer.  The  Chesterfields  were  a  sorry  crowd, 
and  as  they  had  no  further  use  for  their  allies,  the 
Racer  conveyed  them  to  the  point. 

Of  course  Tom's  bonds  were  removed  then,  and 
as  the  Racer  started  for  the  other  side  of  the  lake 
the  Topovers  took  up  the  line  of  march  for 
Genverres.  When  the  Sylph  reached  the  first 
bend  in  the  river,  the  Dasher,  pulling  only  half 
her  oars,  had  begun  her  voyage  across  the  lake. 
The  Racer  kept  close  to  her,  but  she  seemed  to  get 
along  very  well,  though  very  slowly. 

"  I  don't  believe  those  fellows  will  feel  like 
coming  over  here  again  very  soon,"  said  Oscar  in 
the  pilot-house. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  replied  Dory  Dorn- 
wood.  "  This  is  the  third  time  they  have  got  the 
worst  of  it ;  but  I  have  no  idea  that  they  will 
ever  be  satisfied  until  they  get  even  with  us." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  think,"  added  Captain 
Glovering,  who  was  seated  in  the  pilot-house. 
"  But  I  don't  believe  they  will  want  to  attack  us  on 
the  water  again." 

"  If  we  had  n't  had  those  pike-poles  we  could 
not  have  done  a  thing,  and  it  was  only  an  accident 


OR,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  271 

that  they  happened  to  be  on  the  caisson,"  con- 
tinued Oscar. 

"  I  don't  think  so ;  we  should  have  found  some 
other  way  to  meet  them,"  answered  Captain 
Glovering.  "  When  they  have  had  as  much  ex- 
perience on  the  lake  as  we  have,  they  may  be  able 
to  do  something." 

"  But  the  Topovers  are  madder  than  the  Chester- 
fields, and  they  are  our  neighbors,"  suggested 
Oscar.  "  I  believe  we  shall  hear  from  them  again 
soon.  Tom  swore  he  would  fix  us  yet,  and  if  he 
ever  caught  me  alone  he  would  pound  me  till 
I  couldn't  see  out  of  my  eyes.  I  only  hope 
he  will  meet  me  alone." 

"  Let  him  alone  ;  don't  get  into  any  quarrel  with 
him,"  said  Dory,  in  his  quiet  way. 

"  I  shall  not  seek  any  quarrel  with  him,  and 
I  will  do  the  best  I  can  to  avoid  a  fight ;  but  if  I 
get  into  one  in  a  natural  way,  I  shall  try  to  be 
a  muscular  Christian." 

"  The  Topovers  are  more  likely  to  steal  our 
boats  in  the  night,  to  turn  the  Goldwing  adrift,  or 
something  of  that  sort,  than  to  make  an  open 
attack  upon  us,"  argued  the  captain. 

"  My  uncle  would  prosecute  them  if  it  were  not 
for  in-iking  their  parents  pay  their  fines,"  said  the 
first  pilot. 


272  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

When  the  Sylph  reached  the  creek,  the  real 
difficulty  of  the  trip  began.  The  first  officer  and 
his  party  were  still  on  the  caisson ;  but  the  captain 
put  a  dozen  more  of  the  ship's  company  on  board 
of  it.  They  were  to  use  the  pikes  to  crowd  the 
tow  away  from  the  shore  and  the  shoal  water  when 
it  could  not  be  done  by  means  of  the  double  tow 
lines. 

Oscar,  who  as  second  pilot  had  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  depth  of  water  in  the  creek  as  well 
as  the  lakes,  was  sent  on  board ;  and  the  special 
charge  of  the  tow-lines  was  given  to  him.  Slack- 
ing one  or  the  other  of  these  proved  to  be 
sufficient  until  the  caisson  reached  the  V-point. 
In  spite  of  the  tow-lines  the  tow  dragged  on  the 
bottom,  and  a  good  deal  of  vigorous  work  had  to 
be  done  with  the  pike-poles. 

The  passage  through  Beech  Hill  Lake  was 
observed  by  the  instructors,  and  all  the  servants 
from  the  house  and  garden,  until  the  steamer  went 
into  the  creek  above.  Some  hard  work  had  to  be 
done  with  the  pike-poles  before  the  caisson  was 
moored  at  the  stone  wharf,  but  before  supper  time 
the  Sylph  was  at  her  wharf. 

Captain  Gildrock  had  been  detained  in  Burling- 
ton by  the  affairs  of  the  bank  until  the  last  train  ; 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  273 

but  he  arrived  early  in  the  evening.  Captain 
Glovering  reported  to  him  at  once,  giving  a  full 
account  of  the  encounter  with  the  Chesterfields 
and  Topovers.  The  principal  was  sorry  to  hear 
this  story  of  contention  with  the  students  from  the 
other  side  and  the  marauders  of  his  own  side. 
He  approved  the  action  of  Captain  Glovering, 
even  to  the  staving  of  the  boat,  for  it  was  done  in 
defence  of  the  property  entrusted  to  his  care,  as 
well  as  in  protecting  the  persons  of  the  ship's 
company.  If  he  intended  to  do  anything  about  it, 
he  kept  his  own  counsel. 

Unlike  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Beech 
Killers,  Commodore  Twinker  did  not  report  his 
proceedings  to  the  principal  of  his  school.  On 
the  contrary,  he  tried  to  conceal  them,  and  the 
shattered  Dasher  was  rowed  to  the  boat-builder  in 
Westport  for  repairs.  Her  crew  kept  her  under 
the  high  bank  of  the  lake  when  they  passed  the 
institute  buildings. 

But  it  so  happened  that  the  principal  had  been 
over  to  Burlington  on  a  steamer,  and  saw  the 
Dasher  when  she  came  into  Westport.  He  in- 
quired into  the  matter,  and  the  students  told 
a  story  to  suit  themselves  ;  but  the  main  feature  of 
the  narrative-  was  that  they  had  been  grossly 


274  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

insulted  by  both  the  principal  and  the  "  Tinkers  " 
of  the  Beech  Hill  School.  The  Chesterfields 
had  been  told  by  Captain  Gildrock  that  they 
were  not  gentlemen,  and  were  not  fit  to  associate 
with  his  pupils.  The  crew  of  the  Winooski  had 
treated  them  with  contempt,  and  run  into  their 
boat. 

Colonel  B'uckinill  was  indignant,  and  on  Mon- 
day he  went  over  to  Beech  Hill.  He  stated  his 
business  in  a  gentlemanly  manner,  dwelling  mainly 
on  the  charge  of  the  captain  that  the  Chesterfields 
were  not  fit  company  for  the  Beech  Hill  students. 
Captain  Gildrock  admitted  that  he  had  said  so,  and 
still  held  to  that  opinion.  He  was  as  gentlemanly 
as  his  visitor,  but  his  views  were  very  decided. 
He  went  over  the  three  encounters  with  the 
Chesterfields  and  their  allies,  and  sent  for  Dory 
Dornwood  to  explain  the  first  meeting  of  the 
crews  of  the  barges. 

Colonel  Buckmill  "  got  a  flea  in  his  ear,"  but  his 
own  views  of  "  greasy  mechanics  "  were  not  very 
different  from  those  of  his  pupils.  Though  he  did 
not  say  so  in  so  many  words,  he  thought  the 
students  of  the  Chesterfield  Collegiate  Institution 
were  entitled  to  a  good  deal  of  deference  from 
boys  "  picked  up  in  the  streets."  The  captain 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  275 

did  not  see  it  in  this  light,  and  the  two  prin- 
cipals did  not  get  ahead  any  better  than  their 
pupils. 

"  While  my  boys  behave  themselves  like  gentle- 
men, I  expect  them  to  be  treated  as  such,"  replied 
Captain  Gildrock.  "  I  expect  them  to  defend 
themselves  if  attacked ;  but  if  they  go  out  of  their 
way  to  invite  an  attack,  I  will  take  the  boats  away 
from  them,  and  not  allow  them  to  leave  the  school 
grounds  until  they  learn  better.  Your  students 
have  been  the  aggressors  in  every  instance." 

"Silence  is  sometimes  more  insulting  than  speech, 
than  even  offensive  speech,"  replied  the  colonel 
proudly. 

"  Your  views  differ  very  essentially  from  mine, 
Colonel  Buckmill,  and  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to 
attempt  to  reconcile  them,"  continued  Captain 
Gildrock.  "  You  are  on  one  side  of  the  lake  and 
I  am  on  the  other,  and  there  is  not  the  least 
occasion  for  any  collision  between  us,  or  between 
our  students.  If  your  boys  will  let  mine  alone,  I 
will  agree  to  keep  the  peace." 

"  But  I  expect  my  young  gentlemen  to  be 
treated  with  respect,  even  on  the  lake,"  insisted 
the  colonel. 

"  When  one  of  our  barges  met  your  boats,  our 


276  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

boys  tossed  oars,  which  is  the  highest  token  of 
respect  in  a  boat ;  but  your  students  did  not  even 
know  what  it  meant,  and  greeted  ours  with  offen- 
sive epithets.  But  not  a  word  in  retaliation  came 
from  the  mouth  of  a  Beech  Hill  student.  After 
that  our  boys  very  carefully  avoided  yours.  The 
attack  last  Saturday  was  entirely  unprovoked." 

"  But  it  grew  out  of  former  occurrences," 
reasoned  Colonel  Buckmill. 

"  I  have  explained  the  nature  of  the  first 
meeting.  I  have  my  remedy  in  the  courts  if 
these  outrages  are  repeated,"  added  Captain 
Gildrock. 

"  In  the  courts  !  "  exclaimed  the  visitor,  rising  to 
his  feet  in  astonishment  and  indignation.  "Do  I 
understand  you  that  you  intend  to  prosecute  my 
young  gentlemen?" 

"  If  the  principal  of  their  school  justifies  them 
in  their  conduct  and  declines  to  control  them, 
I  shall  certainly  protect  my  boys  from  insult  and 
assault  in  the  best  way  I  can,"  answered  the 
captain  decidedly. 

"  These  affairs  are  nothing  but  the  frolics  of 
young  gentlemen,  and  it  would  be  outrageous  to 
take  them  into  the  courts,"  added  the  colonel,  more 
moderately.  rf  Your  students  have  nearly  ruined 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  277 

one  of  our  boats,  and  I  could  make  a  just  claim 
for  damages." 

"  I  hope  you  will  make  it,"  said  the  captain, 
laughing. 

"  I  do  not  desire  to  settle  such  frolics  in  that 
way." 

"  I  think  nothing  more  need  be  said,  Colonel 
Buckmill.  Your  boys  have  a  perfect  right  to 
navigate  these  waters.  My  boys  have  thus  far 
proved  that  they  are  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves ;  but  I  dislike  these  collisions.  I  only  ask 
you  to  do  what  I  will  do  myself;  my  boys  shall 
not  meddle  with  yours ;  and  the  least  you  can  do 
is  to  require  yours  not  to  meddle  with  mine. 
I  should  be  glad  to  establish  friendly  relations  be- 
tween the  students  of  the  two  schools  —  " 

"  None  of  my  young  men  are  tinkers,"  inter- 
posed the  colonel  with  a  sneer. 

"  But  they  have  formed  an  alliance  with  the 
Topovers,  the  scallawags  of  Genverres.  No  mat- 
ter about  that.  I  see  that  friendly  relations 
between  the  schools  are  impossible,  and  we  can 
only  agree  to  disagree.  I  shall  be  sorry  to  seek 
my  remedy  in  the  courts.  Therefore  I  hope  you 
will  control  your  boys." 

"  I  expected  some  allowance  would  be  made  for 


278  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

the  irregularities  of  young  gentlemen,  till  of  whom 
come  from  the  best  families  in  the  States,"  said 
Colonel  Buckmill,  rising  to  take  his  leave.  "I 
was  mistaken,  and  I  will  do  the  best  I  can  to 
prevent  any  further  collision." 

"  That  is  all  I  can  possibly  ask ;  and  if  you  do 
that,  I  shall  hope  that  friendly  relations  —  not 
socially,  but  on  the  lake  as  boatmen  —  may  yet  be 
established  between  our  students,  though  some  of 
mine  may  have  the  oil  of  the  turning-lathe  upon 
their  skirts." 

Colonel  Buckmill  departed  no  better  satisfied 
than  when  he  came.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had 
little  expectation  of  being  able  to  control  his 
young  gentlemen  while  they  were  on  their  ex- 
cursions upon  the  lake.  He  was  not  a  dis- 
ciplinarian, and  he  had  little  skill  in  managing 
boys.  The  interview  between  the  two  principals 
hardly  promised  anything  hopeful  or  peaceful  in 
the  future. 

During  the  week  the  Sylph  towed  up  to  Beech 
Hill  several  rafts  of  lumber,  and  a  week  after  the 
arrival  of  the  caisson  Mr.  Brookbine  was  ready  to 
begin  the  framing  of  the  boat-house. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

SOMETHING   ABOUT   FRAMING    THE    BOAT-HOUSE. 

"YTTHILE  the  work  of  framing  the  boat-house 
was  in  progress,  the  lessons  in  the  shops 
were  suspended,  but  the  forenoon  exercises  of  the 
school  were  continued  as  usual.  The  new  tools 
had  arrived. and  had  been  distributed.  The  place 
chosen  for  framing  the  building  was  a  level  piece 
of  ground  between  the  shops  and  the  dormitory. 

On  this  spot  the  timber  had  been  landed  and 
piled  up  by  laborers.  Instead  of  assembling  in 
the  shop  after  dinner,  the  students  were  required 
to  be  on  this  ground  with  their  boxes  of  tools.  Mr. 
Brookbine  was  the  central  figure  of  the  picture  on 
this  occasion,  and,  as  usual,  the  boys  were  full  of 
enthusiasm,  for  they  were  to  make  a  beginning  on 
a  new  piece  of  work.  They  gathered  around  the 
master  carpenter,  each  standing  by  his  box. 

"  The  difficulty  in  our  way,  boys,  is  that  you 
insist  upon  going  too  fast,"  Mr.  Brookbine  began. 
"  Captain  Gildrock  wants  it  understood  that  our 

279 


280  SQUARE    AND   COMl'A.SSKS  : 

business  now  is  not  so  much  to  frame  a  buildin^ 

O 

as  to  learn  how  to  frame  one.  I  am  willing  to 
answer  questions,  but  I  want  you  to  stick  to  the 
text,  and  not  talk  about  things  a  thousand  miles 
from  it. 

"  This  boat-house  is  to  be  ninety-six  feet  long 
and  thirty-two  feet  wide,  not  including  the  lean- 
tos  for  the  dressing-rooms  and  small  docks.  We 
will  divide  the  length  into  six  parts,  and  the  width 
into  two  parts.  This  will  make  twelve  squares  of 
sixteen  feet  each,  or  two  hundred  and  fifty-six 
square  feet.  Every  corner  of  these  twelve  squares 
must  be  supported  by  a  foundation." 

"  That  will  make  forty-eight  posts,  and  only  thir- 
teen have  been  ordered,"  said  Life  Windham.  "  I 
don't  see  how  thirteen  posts  can  support  forty- 
eight  corners." 

"  Perhaps  if  you  had  waited  before  you  said  any- 
thing, you  would  have  seen.  Each  of  the  inside 
posts,  in  the  middle  of  the  platform  between  the 
docks,  will  support  four  corners.  One  post  may 
support  one,  two,  or  four  corners.  Of  course  no 
posts  are  required  for  those  parts  wrhich  are  over 
the  shore.  We  shall  simply  put  blocks  or  short 
pieces  of  timber  under  them,  and  lay  stone  wall 
under  the  sills." 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  281 

w  But  what  are  the  sills  ?  "  asked  Tom  Ridley. 

''  I  will  explain  the  details  as  soon  as  you  get 
the  general  idea  of  the  frame,"  replied  the  instruc- 
tor. "As  I  have  said,  the  space  to  be  enclosed 
by  the  frame  is  divided  into  six  sections  of  the 
whole  length.  Each  of  these  sections  contains 
two  of  the  squares  I  have  described.  Now,  Lud- 
low,  give  me  the  size  of  the  ground  of  each  sec- 
tion." 

"  Thirty-two  by  sixteen,"  replied  the  student 
indicated. 

"  Right ;  and  the  boat-house  will  be  the  same  as 
six  buildings  of  thirty-two  by  sixteen,  though  all 
but  two  of  the  sides  would  be  common  to  two  of 
them.  What  I  shall  call  a  section  of  the  frame 
includes  all  the  timbers  in  one  end  of  the  building. 
I  say  one  end.  Never  mind  the  length  of  the 
building.  How  many  of  these  sections  of  the  frame 
will  there  be,  Bellows?" 

"  Six,  of  course,"  replied  the  student ;  and  about 
half  the  boys  laughed  outright. 

"Wrong,"  added  Mr.  Brookbine,  joining  in  the 
laugh.  "  We  have  had  this  subject  up  before  in 
the  shop,  and  I  am  sorry  you  have  forgotten  about 
it.  If  }rou  set  up  six  stokes  in  the  ground,  how 
many  spaces  are  there  between  them,  Bellows?" 


282  SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES; 

"  Six,  I  should  say  ;  "  and  the  boys  all  laughed 
again. 

"Set  them  up  and  count  them,"  continued  the 
master  carpenter,  rather  impatiently. 

Ned  Bellows  did  so,  and  could  count  only  five 
spaces.  He  was  required  to  add  another  stick, 
and  this  gave  him  the  six  spaces,  as  in  the  build- 
ing. 

"  How  many  stakes  have  you,  Bellows?  " 

"  Seven,"  replied  the  student,  rather  sheepishly. 
"I  see  that  there  will  be  seven  sections  of  the 
frame." 

"Making  no  allowance  for  the  docks,  these  seven 
sections  are  just  alike,  and  contain  precisely  the 
same  timbers,"  continued  Mr.  Brookbine.  "  This 
frame  will  be  put  together  in  sections,  and  each 
will  be  raised  by  itself,  by  the  aid  of  rigging  and 
machinery." 

The  boys  began  to  ask  questions,  for  some  of 
them  did  not  understand  the  sections  yet.  The 
instructor  sent  for  a  blackboard,  which  he  placed 
on  an  easel;  and  with  this  he  made  the  subject 
plain  to  all.  There  were  seven  tiers  of  timbers  to 
be  set  up,  when  framed  and  put  together,  just  like 
seven  bricks,  each  placed  on  one  end. 

"  Now  we  will  drop  the  sections  for  a  time,  and 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  283 

take  them  up  again  when  we  are  ready  for  them," 
the  instructor  proceeded,  as  he  rubbed  the  draw- 
ings from  the  blackboard.  He  then  drew  an  out- 
line of  Chowder  Eoint  and  the  shore  near  it. 
"  Now  I  will  mark  where  the  twenty-one  points  of 
support  of  the  building  are  to  be  placed ;  "  and  he 
put  this  number  of  small  crosses  on  the  board. 
"  Some  of  these  bearings  are  posts  and  some  are 
blocks,  as  they  are  in  the  water  or  on  the  shore. 

"  The  timbers  which  rest  on  these  foundation- 
points  are  the  sills.  These  are  the  first  we  frame. 
They  are  twelve  inches  square.  We  cannot  find 
any  in  our  pile  ninety-six  feet  long,  and  we  shall 
have  to  scarf  or  splice  them."  While  he  spoke, 
he  drew  the  positions  of  the  sills  on  the  founda- 
tions. 

"  But  the  boats  can't  go  through  that  timber  to 
get  into  the  docks,"  interposed  Nat  Long. 

"  Let  us  attend  to  the  general  plan  of  the  frame, 
and  we  will  alter  it  for  the  docks  before  we  are 
done,"  replied  the  instructor,  as  he  proceeded  to 
draw  the  five  cross-timbers  connecting  the  sills. 
"  Now  the  sills  are  laid  down.  Between  the  cross, 
or  section  sills,  we  put  in  the  floor  joist.  How 
far  apart  are  the  sections,  Gawner?" 

"  Sixteen  feet." 


284  SQUARE   AND  COMPASSES; 

"  These  floor  timbers  are  simply  two-inch  planks, 
nine  inches  wide.  There  is  a  pile  of  them,"  said 
Mr.  Brookbine,  pointing  to  the  lumber.  "  They 
are  to  be  placed  sixteen  inches  apart,  the  sills  being 
notched,  or  mortised,  to  receive  the  ends.  These 
joists  must  be  bridged." 

"  Bridged  ?  "  queried  Ben  Ludlow. 

rt  This  must  be  done  before  the  floor  is  laid,  for 
we  can't  get  at  the  joist  afterwards.  Short  pieces 
of  board  are  nailed  from  the  upper  side  of  one 
timber  to  the  lower  side  of  the  next  one,  the  ends 
being  sawed  at  the  right  bevel.  Another  piece  is 
nailed  in  close  to  it,  at  right  angles  with  the  first. 
A  pair  of  bridge-sticks  must  be  put  in  every  five 
feet.  They  are  used  to  prevent  the  narrow  timber 
from  canting,  thus  giving  a  firm  and  solid  floor. 

"  The  next  thing  is  to  lay  the  floor ;  that  is,  we 
nail  down  boards  over  all  the  timbers.  This  will 
make  the  lower  floor.  Now,  I  may  say  that  the 
framing  for  the  end  of  the  building  where  the 
docks  are  must  be  adapted  to  their  shape.  The 
floor-timbers  of  the  lean-tos  for  the  dressing-rooms 
will  be  supported  by  braces  above  and  below  from 
the  posts. 

"  Now,  we  will  suppose  that  the  entire  floor, 
except  the  docks,  is  laid,  and  we  have  a  platform 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  285 

ninety-six  by  forty  to  stand  upon.  Before  the 
sills  were  put  in  place,  they  will  be  mortised  to 
receive  the  tenons  at  the  ends  of  the  posts,  and  of 
the  braces.  Now  we  are  ready  to  return  to  the 
sections  of  the  frame. 

"  To  each  section  there  are  three  posts,  —  one 
at  each  side,  and  one  in  the  centre  of  the  building. 
On  the  upper  ends  of  these  posts  rest  the  plates ;  " 
and  the  instructor  drew  the  parts  as  he  described 
them.  "They  connect  the  posts  at  the  top,  as  the 
sills  do  at  the  bottom.  About  on  a  level  with  the 
hall-floor  are  timbers,  called  girders,  joining 
the  middle  post  with  the  outside  ones.  The  sills, 
the  plates,  and  the  girders  are  the  principal  tim- 
bers, and  are  the  same  in  nil  the  sections. 

"In  every  corner  there  is  a  diagonal  brace, 
forming  a  right-angled  triangle  with  a  base  and  a 
perpendicular  of  three  feet.  We  shall  mortise 
for  these  braces,  though  of  late  years  many  car- 
penters simply  spike  them  in  their  places.  Be- 
tween the  sills  and  the  girders,  and  between  the 
girders  and  the  plates,  are  the  studs.  They  are 
made  of  four-by-two  stuff,  or,  in  other  words,  of 
two-inch  plank,  four  inches  wide.  The  sills,  gir- 
ders, and  plates  are  mortised  for  them,  and  a 
two-inch  tenon  cut  at  the  end  of  each  stick. 


286  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

Where  windows  come,  short  studs  are  put  in 
above  and  below  them.  They  are  placed  sixteen 
inches  apart.  This  completes  the  frame  below  the 
roof." 

"  Then  we  are  ready  to  go  to  work,"  said  one 
of  the  boys. 

"  Not  yet,  for  you  don  't  expect  the  sections  to 
stand  alone.  The  frame  of  the  first  section  will  be 
put  together  with  the  bottoms  of  the  posts  at  the 
mortises  they  are  to  occupy.  It  will  be  no  easy  job 
to  get  it  up  to  a  perpendicular ;  but  it  can  be  done 
with  pike-poles  and  a  derrick,  with  no  little  rig- 
ging. When  we  get  it  upright,  the  tenons  will 
drop  into  the  mortises,  and  we  have  to  stay  it  in 
position  with  braces  and  ropes.  Then  we  raise 
the  second  section  in  the  same  manner.  There 
are  plates  and  girders  on  the  sides  as  well  as  the 
ends  of  the  building.  While  the  two  sections  are 
held  in  position,  the  girders  and  plates  are  put  up 
to  connect  them.  The  studs  and  braces  are  put 
in  place,  as  in  the  end  section. 

"  All  the  large  timbers  are  pinned  together.  You 
will  have  a  nice  time  in  making  a  cord  or  two  of 
these  pins.  They  are  about  an  inch  in  diameter, 
made  a  little  large  for  the  hole,  so  as  to  fit  it 
snugly.  We  pin  the  braces  so  that  they  will  hold 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  287 

both  ways,  but  the  studs  are  not  fastened  at  all, 
for  the  tenons  cannot  get  out  of  the  mortises." 

"  We  can  turn  the  pins,"  suggested  Lick  Mil- 
ton. 

"  You  can  ;  but  while  you  are  fitting  the  wood 
into  the  lathe  I  can  cut  out  two  of  them  with  a 
broad  axe.  Your  eye  must  be  educated  to  the 
size.  As  we  add  each  section  to  the  building,  we 
fill  in  the  space  between  this  one  and  the  next. 
Now  we  have  the  frame  up  all  but  the  roof. 

"  All  structures  are  not  framed  alike,  and  some 
of  the  connections  I  have  mentioned  have  to  be 
omitted  in  some  places.  For  example,  the  braces 
between  the  cross-girders  and  the  posts  can  be 
used  only  in  the  ends  of  the  building.  Again,  all 
the  middle  posts,  except  the  two  at  the  ends,  must 
be  short  ones,  for  we  don't  want  them  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  hall. 

rt  The  framing  of  the  roof  is  a  simple  matter, 
though  we  shall  have  to  support  the  ceiling  of  the 
hall  from  it.  To  do  this  we  use  a  little  larger 
timber  than  would  otherwise  be  required  for  the 
rafters,  as  they  form  a  sort  of  truss,  from  which 
we  hang  the  upper  floor.  I  have  finished  what  I 
had  to  say  ;  but  the  details  will  have  to  be  ex- 
plained as  we  go  along." 


288  SQUARE    AND  COMPASSES. 

"  You  can't  do  anything  with  some  of  these  tim- 
bers," said  Bob  S wanton,  as  he  pointed  to  one  near 
him.  "  It  is  twisted  all  out  of  shape." 

"  That  one  is  warped  in  the  sun ;  but  a  stick 
must  be  very  crooked  before  we  throw  it  out,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Brookbine.  "  We  must  take  the  '  wind  ' 
out  of  it.  All  we  want  is  two  faces  at  right  angles 
with  each  other.  We  select  the  two  best  sides, 
and  Avith  a  couple  of  squares  sight  along  each. 
Then  we  must  hew  it  down  where  it  is  out." 

The  students  were  then  required  to  take  the 
square  and  compasses  from  the  box.  The  actual 
work  of  framing  was  to  begin. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    STUDENTS   USE    THE    SQUARE   AND   COMPASSES. 

"A/TR.  BROOKBINE  stood  on  one  of  the  tim- 
bers  intended  for  the  sills  of  the  boat-house. 
In  his  hand  he  held  a  steel  square  and  a  pair  of 
compasses. 

"The  pair  of  compasses  I  hold  in  my  hand,"  he 
said,  "are  of  the  simplest  construction.  Those 
you  have  in  the  shop  are  fitted  with  a  screw-stop 
so  that  you  can  fasten  them  in  any  required  posi- 
tion. You  will  complain  that  it  is  hard  to  move 
the  legs  of  these,  but  as  they  must  stay  in  place 
without  any  screw,  it  is  necessary  that  the  joint  be 
a  tight  fit." 

"  Legs  ?  "  said  a  student. 

"You  can  call  them  shanks,  if  you  prefer,  or 
arms.  There  are  a  great  many  technical  names  to 
parts  of  apparatus  which  are  not  often  used  be- 
cause they  are  not  generally  known,"  replied  the 
instructor.  "  Since  I  came  to  Beech  Hill  I  learned 
that  an  oar  consists  of  the  handle,  the  loom  and 
the  blade.  Outside  of  the  navy  probably  not  one 

289 


290  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

in  ten  ever  heard  of  the  loom  of  an  oar,  or  would 
know  what  it  meant.  In  carpentry  the  technical 
names  used  in  one  part  of  the  country  are  not 
known  in  other  parts.  Legs"  is  the  proper  techni- 
cal name  of  the  two  parts  of  the  compasses. 

"  You  notice  that  the  points  are  more  blunt  than 
those  you  use  in  the  shop.  In  framing  we  use  one 
of  the  legs  as  a  marking-awl.  The  awl  would  do 
just  as  well,  but  it  is  sometimes  convenient  to 
have  the  compasses  in  your  hand  so  that  you  can 
]ny  off  a  distance  from  the  square  with  them. 
The  points  are  tapered  more  rapidly  so  that  they 
will  make  a  mark  which  can  readily  be  seen  by  the 
workman. 

"  The  steel  square  is  one  of  the  most  important 
tools  used  by  the  carpenter,  and  I  could  use  up 
hours  in  telling  you  about  it.  The  parts  have 
technical  names,  though  few  make  a  strict  use  of 
them.  The  corner  is  called  the  heel,  from  which 
each  of  the  four  measures  on  it  start.  The  long 
arm  is  the  blade  and  the  short  one  the  tongue. 
The  blade  is  just  two  feet  long,  or  twenty-four 
inches." 

"  Mine  is  only  twenty-three,"  suggested  one  of 
the  boys,  all  of  whom  were  examining  their  steel 
squares. 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  291 

"  Mine  is  only  twenty-two  in  one  place,  and 
twenty-three  in  another,"  added  another. 

"You  are  altogether  too  literal,  and  the  letter 
killeth  in  carpentry  as  well  as  in  Scripture," 
replied  Mr.  Brookbine.  "You  must  apply  com- 
mon sense  to  the  figures.  Now  look  at  the  outside 
measure  on  the  blade  :  find  the  figure  for  one  inch. 
That  one  means  one  inch  in  length,  without  regard 
to  breadth,  as  you  define  a,  line  in  geometry. 
Hold  up  the  square  with  the  tongue  down.  Now 
does  the  inch  of  length  lie  on  the  right  or  the  left 
of  the  point  marked  one." 

".On  the  right,"  replied  a  dozen. 

"  Now  look  at  the  point  marked  twenty-three  : 
is  the  inch  marked  with  this  number  on  the  right 
or  the  left  of  it?" 

"On  the  right." 

"But  there  is  another  inch  on  the  left  of  the 
mark,  which  is  the  twenty-fourth  inch,  though 
there  is  no  room  to  mark  it  uniformly  with  the 
other  numbers.  Now,  boys,  look  the  thing  over 
a  little  before  you  raise  an  objection.  I  repeat 
that,  on  the  outside,  the  blade  is  two  feet  long. 
The  student  who  said  his  blade  was  marked 
twenty-two  in  one  place  was  wrong  in  his  fact, 
and  if  he  looks  again  he  will  see  that  the  inside 


292  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

length  of  the  blade  is  twenty-two  and  a  half 
inches,  which  is  the  outside  width  less  the  width 
of  the  tongue. 

"  In  these  squares  the  tongue  is  sixteen  inches 
long,  on  the  outside,  and  fourteen  on  the  inside, 
marked  in  the  same  manner  as  the  blade.  The 
inside  length  is  two  inches  less  than  the  outside, 
for  the  blade  is  two  inches  wide,  while  the  tongue 
is  only  an  inch  and  a  half.  You  must  know  the 
square  so  that  you  can  use  it  without  stopping  to 
study  out  its  meaning. 

"  The  tongue  is  sixteen  inches  long  in  this  in- 
stance because  it  furnishes  a  convenient  measure 
for  the  placing  of  studs  and  furrings.  The  rule  is 
to  put  studs  and  furrings  sixteen  inches  apart ; 
but  there  is  no  law  which  compels  any  carpenter 
or  architect  to  follow  it.  Floor-joists  are  usually 
placed  at  the  same  distance  apart,  though  the  rule 
is  often  varied  to  meet  the  circumstances." 

"I  don't  know  what  a  furring  is,"  said  one  of 
the  boys. 

"  Furring  a  house  is  nailing  strips  of  board, 
usually  sawed  at  the  mill  three  inches  wide,  to 
the  posts  and  studs  for  the  sides,  and  the  floor- 
joist  for  the  ceiling,  on  a  room,  at  a  distance  of 
sixteen  inches  apart,  on  which  the  laths  are 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  293 

nailed  for  the  plastering.  If  they  were  placed  at 
any  other  distance  from  each  other,  it  would  make 
great  confusion  and  waste  in  lathing.  Laths  are 
sawed  four  feet  in  length,  so  as  to  cover  the  space 
from  the  middle  of  one  furring  to  the  middle  of 
the  third  one  from  it.  Each  lath  is  nailed  to  four 
fairings." 

"But  every  room  can  not  be  exactly  divided 
into  spaces  of  sixteen  inches  in  its  length  or 
breadth,"  suggested  Harry  Franklin. 

"  Very  true ;  but  the  sixteen-inch  division  is 
used  as  far  as  it  will  go,  and  the  lather  must  cut 
his  laths  for  the  last  one.  All  the  confusion  comes 
in  at  the  end  then.  If  any  other  division  were 
made  he  would  have  to  cut  every  lath  he  used." 

"  But  I  have  seen  furrings  only  two  inches 
wide,"  Lew  Shoreham  objected. 

"  No  matter  whether  they  are  one  or  six  inches 
wide  :  the  rule  is  followed.  But  sixteen  inches 
means  from  the  centre  of  one  furring  to  the  centre 
of  the  next  one ;  and  the  difference  in  the  width 
comes  into  the  space  between  them.  In  some 
places  they  lath  upon  the  studs,  inside,  and 
clapboard  upon  them  on  the  outside,  without 
boarding. 

"There  is  no  particular  reason  why  the  blade 


294  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

of  the  square  should  be  two  feet  long,  except  that 
it  is  a  convenient  length.  The  width  of  both  the 
blade  and  the  tongue  is  important.  In  mortising 
the  sill  for  the  studs,  we  shall  cut  out  a  square 
hole  of  an  inch  and  a  half,  which  is  the  width  of 
the  tongue.  We  will  begin  with  the  timber  on 
which  I  am  standing,  which  is  a  foot  square.  The 
posts  will  be  eight  inches  square.  Baxter,  meas- 
ure four  inches  from  the  end. 

."  This  point  will  be  the  centre  of  the  mortise 
for  the  post , "  continued  the  master  carpenter  when 
the  students  had  marked  the  distance.  "Now 
lay  off  sixteen  inches,  and  stick  the  point  of  the 
compasses  well  into  the  wood  so  thative  can  see 
the  mark.  This  is  the  centre  of  the  mortise  for 
the  first  stud.  The  stuff  for  the  studding  is  four 
inches  b\^  two.  Set  the  points  of  your  compass 
one  inch  apart,  and  keep  them  so  for  the  present. 
Lay  off  one  inch  on  each  side  of  the  point  you 
have  made  in  the  sill." 

Baxter  did  as  he  was  told,  and  the  rest  of  the 
students  watched  him. 

"The  space  between  the  outside  points  is  two 
inches,  just  the  thickness  of  the  stud,"  continued 
Mr.  Brookbine.  "  Put  one  point  of  the  compasses 
in  either  outside  hole  you  have  made ;  rest  the 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  295 

tongue  of  the  square  against  the  leg ;  let  the 
blade  hang  over  the  side  of  the  timber  just  far 
enough  to  enable  you  to  square  across  the  upper 
face  of  the  timber ;  scratch  a  line  across  with  the 
point  of  the  compasses ;  in  other  words,  scribe  it. 
Do  the  same  with  the  other  outside  point.  Now 
you  have  the  length  of  the  mortise  marked  on  the 
timber. 

"  Place  the  tongue  of  the  square  against  the 
outer  face  of  the  sill,  its  length  just  even  with  the 
corner,  and  be  accurate  about  it.  Good  !  Now 
scribe  against  the  inside  of  the  tongue.  Move  the 
square  until  the  outside  of  the  tongue  coincides 
with  the  line  just  made,  and  scribe  as  before.  The 
result  is  that  you  have  ruled  off  the  width  of  the 
tongue,  an  inch  and  a  half,  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  corner  of  the  stick.  This  gives  you  the 
other  two  sides  of  the  mortise.  You  must  meas- 
ure, mark,  and  scribe  accurately,  or  our  studs 
will  not  come  in  the  right  place. 

"Now  we  will  take  a  piece  of  studding,  and 
finish  the  subject.  The  mortise  will  be  an  inch 
and  a  half  deep,  and  we  are  to  mark  off  a  tenon  to 
fit  it.  Set  the  square  at  the  width  of  the  tongue 
from  the  end  of  the  stick,  scribe  all  around  it. 
The  thickness  of  the  stud  fits  the  mortise,  so  that 


296  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

we  have  to  cut  away  none  of  it.  Place  the  tongue 
against  the  face  of  the  stud  and  scribe  it.  Do  the 
same  on  the  other  side.  Place  the  tongue  against 
the  mark  made  and  scribe  again.  You  may  scribe 
in  the  same  manner  across  the  end  of  the  stud. 
The  result  is  that  the  tenon  of  an  inch  and  a  half 
by  two  inches  is  marked  off  at  the  distance  of  an 
inch  and  a  half  from  the  face  of  the  stick.  You 
can  see  that  nothing  but  the  saws  are  required  to 
do  the  work." 

"  We  can  do  all  that  fast  enough,"  said  Ben 
Ludlow. 

"  The  trouble  is  that  you  will  do  it  too  fast,  and 
be  careless  about  it,"  replied  the  instructor.  "  It 
requires  sound  judgment  to  do  this  work  well. 
As  I  have  told  you  before,  one  may  waste  his 
wages  ten  times  over  in  cutting  up  lumber.  Be- 
fore you  put  the  saw  into  a  stick,  you  should  con- 
sider what  the  piece  you  cut  off  is  good  for. 
Most  of  the  timber  is  selected  for  the  frame,  so  as 
to  make  the  least  waste.  I  shall  have  a  great  deal 
to  say  to  yon  on  this  subject  as  we  go  along.  No 
matter  hbw  much  money  you  have,  or  who  pays 
the  bills,  there  must  be  no  unnecessary  waste. 
That  he  cuts  stock  to  good  advantage,  is  one  of 
the  best  recommendations  for  a  mechanic." 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  297 

"  Don't  we  have  to  fit  the  tenons  to  the  mortises, 
and  number  them,  or  something  of  that  sort?" 
asked  Luke  Bennington. 

"  Some  carpenters  frame  in  that  way,  which 
answers  very  well  in  a  small  building,"  replied 
the  instructor.  "  We  shall  use  in  the  boat-house 
between  four  and  five  hundred  studs,  for  example, 
and  it  would  be  more  work  to  number  and  find 
them  than  it  would  be  to  frame  the  whole  of 
them.  We  shall  frame  by  what  is  sometimes 
called  the  square  rule.  Any  long  stud  will  fit  tiny 
place  where  a  long  stud  is  required.  The  jack- 
studs,  or  short  ones,  are  of  different  lengths,  and 
we  classify  them  by  their  size.  Of  course  the 
short  posts  cannot  be  used  in  the  sides  or  ends, 
or  the  side  posts  at  the  corners  ;  but  all  the  sticks 
of  the  same  class  are  interchangeable." 

Tha  master  carpenter  ended  his  lecture.  The 
timbers  for  the  sills  had  been  laid  out  for  framing, 
and  under  the  direction  of  the  instructor,  the 
students  proceeded  to  mark  them  off  for  mor- 
tising. It  would  require  a  whole  series  of  books 
to  follow  him  in  all  the  details.  In  what  manner 
he  gave  his  instruction  has  been  shown.  Four 
students  were  instructed  how  to  mark  for  the 
posts,  and  they  proceeded  to  do  it. 


298  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

Four  more  were  told  how  to  mark  for  the  tenons 
at  the  ends  of  the  posts,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
fairly  at  them,  four  more  were  selected  to  prepare 
the  girders.  A  squad  was  put  upon  the  braces, 
another  on  the  plates  and  a  third  on  the  studs. 
In  a  short  time  they  were  all  at  work.  Mr. 
Brbokbine  looked  over  the  marks  as  fast  as  his 
time  would  admit.  Of  course  there  were  many 
mistakes,  and  these  were  pointed  out. 

After  an  hour's  use  of  the  square  and  compasses, 
the  boys  needed  a  change  of  work,  and  the  in- 
structor called  for  the  framing-chisels  and  mallets. 
All  hands  were  set  to  mortising  where  the  marks 
had  been  made  and  proved  to  be  correct.  The 
students  worked  hard,  and  when  night  came  they 
did  not  feel  much  like  skylarking. 

The  next  forenoon,  while  the  pupils  were  at  their 
studies,  the  master  carpenter  went  over  the  marks 
and  measurements  on  the  timbers.  He  was  sur- 
prised to  find  so  few  errors.  Before  noon  he  had 
arranged  everything  for  the  afternoon.  The  boys 
worked  hard,  and  the  framing  was  not  likely  to 
last  long. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  STUDENTS  CELEBRATE  THE  COMPLETION  OF 
THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  HOUSE. 


framing  was  finished,  and  the  stone  posts 
or  the  foundation  in  the  water  were  ready. 
Captain  Gildrock  had  decided  to  have  a  submarine 
diver  to  make  a  sure  thing  of  the  chinking  up  at 
the  bottom.  It  was  thought  best  to  make  two 
cargoes  of  the  foundations,  especially  as  it  was 
necessary  to  carry  a  considerable  quantity  of  other 
stone. 

Seven  of  the  posts  had  been  loaded  upon  the 
caisson,  and  the  Sylph  went  up  to  tow  it  down. 
The  derrick  had  been  erected  in  the  centre  of  it, 
and  everything  was  ready  to  drop  the  foundations 
into  their  places.  With  the  handling  of  the  stone 
the  students  had  nothing  to  do  ;  but  they  manned 
the  steamer,  and  moved  the  caisson  as  required. 
The  experience  obtained  in  towing  the  caisson 
from  Burlington  had  fitted  the  boys  for  their 
work,  and  the  tow  was  soon  brought  into  position 
for  setting  the  first  post. 

299 


300  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

The  two  four-oar  boats  and  the  quarter-boats  of 
the  steamer  were  manned,  and  were,  useful  in 
carrying  out  the  various  guys  and  stays  in  mooring 
the  caisson.  The  posts  were  lowered  into  the 
water  over  one  end  of  the  craft,  the  boom  of  the 
derrick  being  thirty  feet  long,  so  that  the  equili- 
brium of  the  float  could  be  better  secured. 

The  Gold  wing  was  appropriated  to  the  use  of 
the  sub-marine  diver  and  his  assistants.  He  was 
the  novelty  of  the  occasion,  for  not  one  of  the 
students,  with  the  exception  of  the  two  from  New 
York  city,  had  ever  seen  the  working,  of  the 
apparatus.  It  was  hardly  a  full  exhibition,  how- 
ever, for  the  water  was  not  over  the  diver's  head 
in  any  part  of  the  bay  where  he  was  to  make  a 
descent. 

The  man  dressed  himself  and  put  on  his  copper 
helmet  in  the  standing-room  of  the  yacht ;  and 
the  students  gave  him  three  cheers  when  he  was 
in  full  rig.  The  air-pump  was  placed  on  the 
forward  deck,  and  the  hose  through  which  the 
air  was  to  be  supplied  to  the  diver  was  conve- 
niently arranged.  A  tub  of  stone  chips  of  various 
size  was  ready  to  be  lowered  down  to  him. 

"  I  don't  see  how  they  are  to  sling  the  post  so 
as  to  drop  it  down  into  the  water  plumb,"  said 


OR,   BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  301 

Oscar  Chester,  in  the  pilot-house  of  the  Sylph, 
which  was  alongside  the  caisson. 

"  The  quarry  men  have  drilled  a  hole  in  the  top 
of  each ;  the  inside  of  which  is  in  the  shape  of  the 
frustrum  of  a  pyramid  on  two  sides,"  replied  Dory 
Dornwood.  "They  have  an  iron  made  in  the 
same  shape,  but  considerably  smaller,  which  they 
drop  into  the  hole.  On  the  two  slanting  sides 
they  insert  pieces  of  iron  of  uniform  thickness, 
which  just  fill  up  the  hole.  When  these  are  in 
place  you  cannot  pull  out  the  middle  iron,  to 
which  the  hoisting  apparatus  is  attached." 

Oscar  watched  the  process  of  making  fast  to 
the  first  post,  and  a  sight  of  the  apparatus  ena- 
bled him  to  comprehend  its  working.  There  were 
four  sheaves  in  the  blocks  used  on  the  derrick ; 
and  the  process  of  hoisting  and  lowering,  when 
the  rope  was  wound  up  on  a  small  cylinder,  like 
that  on  the  machine,  was  very  slow.  But  great 
power  is  obtained  only  at  the  expense  of  speed. 
Bolly  Millweed  had  been  up  to  see  the  loading  of 
the  posts  on  the  caisson,  and  with  two  men  at  the 
winches  it  took  hours  to  put  a  single  one  on 
board.. 

On  his  return  he  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Jepson, 
and  the  result  of  it  was  that  a  cylinder  was  rigged 


302  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

in  the  shop  which  could  be  worked  with  the  engine. 
The  distance  of  the  derrick  from  the  cylinder 
made  it  necessary  to  use  a  very  strong  rope, 
which  Captain  Gildrock  selected  for  the  purpose. 
A  gong  bell  was  rigged  in  the  shop,  to  be  rung 
with  a  cord. 

There  was  something  for  every  student  to  do, 
and  the  work  of  each  one  had  been  assigned  to 
him.  There  were  eight  on  the  steamer,  eight  in 
the  boats,  two  on  the  Goldwing,  four  on  .the 
caisson,  one  of  whom  was  to  put  his  whole  mind 
upon  the  ringing  of  the  gong  bell,  while  Boll^v 
Millvveed,  who  was  regarded  as  the  architect  and 
engineer  of  the  work,  had  three  assistants. 

Bolly  was  a  great  man  on  this  occasion,  and  his 
father  and  mother  stood  on  Chowder  Point,  observ- 
ing him  with  admiration.  Doubtless  Bolly  "  felt 
his  oats,"  but  anyone  who  had  been  with  Captain 
Gildrock  a  while  did  not  put  on  airs,  and  the 
architect  conducted  himself  with  becoming  mod- 
esty. He  was  really  entitled  to  a  great  deal  of 
credit,  for  not  only  the  plans,  but  many  of  the 
contrivances  for  setting  the  posts  and  raising 
the  building  had  been  originated  by  him. 

Mr.  Brookbine  had  insisted  that  it  wras  next  to 
impossible  to  set  the  foundations  properly  in  the 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  303 

water.  Bolly  thought  there  was  no  great  difficulty 
in  doing  this  part  of  the  work.  He  addressed 
himself  to  the  problem,  and  asked  the  master 
carpenter  to  select  for  hijn  two  straight  eight-inch 
timbers,  thirty-two  feet  long.  These  were  pinned 
together  in  the  form  of  a  steel  square,  though  with 
arms  of  equal  length.  Braces  were  put  on  to  keep 
the  timbers  exactly  at  right  angles  with  each 
other. 

At  the  heel  and  the  ends  of  this  floating  square 
he  set  up  three  poles,  straight  and  plumb,  which 
were  painted  red.  In  the  apparatus  of  the  school 
there  was  a  surveyor's  compass,  with  sights  upon 
it.  With  this  instrument,  used  on  the  shore,  he 
got  the  square  in  position,  so  that  the  heel  was 
where  the  first  post  was  to  be  set.  His  three  assis- 
tants were  in  a  boat,  and  moved  the  square  by  the 
signals  he  made.  It  was  then  moored  to  the  bot- 
tom, so  that  it  could  not  be  readily  moved. 

The  floating  square  was  placed  so  that  the  outer 
corner  would  just  touch  the  inner  corner  of  the 
post  when  it  was  set.  At  this  point  the  architect 
nailed  a  couple  of  laths  so  as  to  form  two  sides  of 
a  square  of  the  size  of  the  foundation  stones.  In 
the  middle  and  at  each  end  of  the  arms  of  tho 
square,  he  also  nailed  laths,  to  mark  the  position 


304  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

of  four  other  posts,  one  of  which  formed  the 
second  corner  of  the  end  of  the  building. 

Mr.  Brookbine  commended  the  engineer,  though 
he  had  some  doubts  aj)out  the  flouting  square. 
The  swinging  of  the  caisson,  or  u  slight  rap  from 
the  stone  in  lowering  it,  would  knock  the  square 
out  of  place.  Bolly  could  only  reply  that  the 
caisson  must  not  swing,  and  the  post  must  not 
touch  the  square. 

At  the  order  of  the  principal  quarryman,  Jim 
Alburgh  rang  the  gong,  the  long  rope  straight- 
ened, and  the  end  of  the  post  began  to  rise.  The 
square  was  three  feet  from  one  end  of  the  caisson, 
which  was  moored  at  the  other  end  from  the  west 
side  of  the  bay.  Bolly  was  in  one  of  the  boats 
with  two  of  his  assistants,  the  third  being  sta- 
tioned on  shore  with  the  compass,  sighting  along 
the  red  poles,  to  give  notice  of  any  change  in  the 
position  of  the  square. 

When  it  was  raised  high  enough,  the  post  was 
lowered  slowly  into  the  water,  a  foot  from  the 
guides  on  the  square.  Bolly  was  nervous,  and 
kept  telling  the  quarrymen  not  to  let  the  stone 
touch  the  guides  or  the  square.  The  diver 
dropped  into  the  water,  and  waded  to  the  stone. 
When  the  end  of  it  was  nearly  on  the  bottom,  the 


OR,    BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  305 

post  was  swung  into  place  so  carefully  that  the 
marks  were  not  disturbed.  The  diver  chinked 
up  the  stone,  and  it  was  accurately  plumbed. 

When  the  first  post  was  in  place,  the  students 
gave  three  cheers.  The  Sylph  whistled  lustily, 
and  just  at  that  moment  the  two  Chesterfield 
barges  darted  into  Beech  Hill  Lake.  They  went 
over  to  the  grove,  where  they  picked  up  a  dozen 
of  the  Topovers.  It  did  not  look  as  though  the 
principal  of  the  institute  had  much  influence  over 
them  ;  for  taking  the  Topovers  into  their  boats  in- 
dicated that  they  were  bent  upon  mischief. 

Captain  Gildrock  said  nothing  about  the  barges 
and  their  occupants,  and  did  not  seem  to  n^.L-e 
them.  The  work  proceeded  as  though  they  had 
been  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  The  Sylph 
moved  the  caisson  into  position  for  laying  the 
second  post,  which  was  on  the  side,  to  avoid 
changing  the  mooring-ropes  as  much  as  possible. 

The  Chesterfields  rowed  up  to  a  point  where 
they  could  see  what  was  going  on,  and  watched 
the  work  for  a  while.  It  was  no  "circus"  for 
them,  and  they  soon  pulled  to  the  shore  on  the 
west  side  of  Hornet  Bay.  Dory  watched  them 
from  the  pilot-house,  and  soon  had  occasion  to 
report  to  the  principal  that  the  Chesterfields  and 


306  SQUARE    AND    COMPASSES  ; 

Topovers  had  hold  of  the  moor  ing-rope  of  the 
caisson.  He  had  not  finished  what  he  was  saying 
before  the  stone  boat  suddenly  moved  towards 
the  site  of  the  building,  and  then  knocked  Bolly's 
square  out  of  place. 

Captain  Gildrock  took  command  this  time  him- 
self. The  chief  quarry  man  was  a  constable.  He 
asked  all  the  rest  of  the  men  and  boys  to  act  as 
his  posse,  and  all  hands  were  ordered  into  the 
steamer.  The  mischief-makers  had  taken  the 
mooring-rope  into  the  Dasher,  and  had  headed 
out  into  the  lake.  The  steamer  darted  after  them. 
The  boats  let  go  the  rope,  and  attempted  to  escape 
by  the  way  they  had  come.  The  Sylph  was  too 
much  for  them,  and  both  boats  were  captured. 
The  principal  directed  the  constable  to  take  the 
two  coxswains  and  Tom  Topover  out  of  them,  and 
they  were  shut  up  in  the  ice-house  on  board  of  the 
steamer. 

The  others  were  permitted  to  depart,  which 
they  were  glad  to  do  when  they  found  that  Captain 
Gildrock  "meant  business."  The  prisoners  were 
kept  till  noon  in  the  ice-house,  when  they  were 
taken  before  a  magistrate,  and  a  complaint  made 
for  trespass  and  for  stealing  the  boats  on  a  former 
occasion.  They  were  sent  to '  the  lock-up,  but 


OR,  BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  307 

• 

Colonel  Buckmill  came  over  before  night  and 
bailed  out  Commodore  Twinker  and  Jeff  Monroe. 

At  the  trial  a  case  was  made  out,  and  all  the 
defendants  were  subjected  to  a  fine,  which  Tom's 
father  would  not  pay,  and  he  was  kept  in  jail  for 
two  weeks.  Colonel  Buckmill  paid  those  of  his 
students.  He  had  warned  them  before  of  the 
peril  of  meddling  with  the  Beech  Hill  students,  and 
probably  he  did  it  again  on  this  occasion.  What 
good  it  did  we  may  learn  from  another  book  of 
this  series.  At  any  rate  the  Chesterfields  and  the 
Topovers  did  not  go  to  Beech  Hill  Lake  again 
that  year. 

Bolly  arranged  the  square  again,  and  the  rest 
of  the  posts  were  set.  The  sills  were  then  loaded 
on  the  caisson,  from  which  they  were  laid  on  the 
posts.  The  rest  of  the  lower  timbers  were  put  in 
place  by  the  students,  with  the  help  of  the  laborers 
only.  The  rafts  of  boards,  which  had  been  se- 
cured to  the  shore  until  they  were  wanted,  were 
towed  to  the  frame,  and  the  racket  of  six-and- 
twenty  hammers  resounded  through  the  grove  for 
the  next  two  afternoons.  The  boys  learned  to 
drive  nails,  but  there  was  not  so  much  fun  in  it, 
they  found,  when  they  came  to  make  a  business 
of  it.  The  sawing  and  fitting  of  the  boards  for 


308  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

the  floor  gave  some  variety,  and  they  Avero  re- 
quired to  sharpen  their  judgment  in  the  preven- 
tion of  waste. 

While  the  students  were  at  their-  studies,  the 
laborers  carried  the  timbers  of  the  frame  to  the 
platform,  and  the  next  job  was  to  put  them  to- 
gether in  sections.  The  caisson  was  securely 
moored  off  the  east  end  of  the  site  by  ropes  lead- 
ing to  the  shore.  The  boom  of  the  derrick  was 
tf  topped  up  "  until  it  was  perpendicular  to  the  deck 
of  the  craft.  Slings  were  rigged  at  the  intersection 
of  the  three  end  posts  with  the  plates,  from  which 
three  lines  came  together  at  the  foot  of  the  middle 
post. 

"  Now,  boys,  we  want  three  sailors,"  said  Cap- 
tain Gildrock,  who  attended  personally  to  the 
rigging.  "  What  they  have  to  do  may  he  con- 
sidered dangerous  in  the  country,  though  not  more 
so  than  going  upon  the  cross-trees  of  a  ship,  and 
I  shall  call  for  volunteers." 

Every  student  raised  his  hand,  for  all  of  them 
wanted  the  .difficult  positions.  The  principal  se- 
lected three  who  had  had  some  experience  in  going 
aloft ;  and  they  were  Dory  Dornwood,  Matt  Ran- 
dolph and  Luke  Bennington. 

"  You  will  take  your  places  at  the  top  ends  of 


OR,  BUILDING    THE    HOUSE.  309 

the  posts,  and  be  hoisted  up  with  them.  Hold  on 
to  the  slings,  and  don't  get  your  hands  jammed  in 
them,"  continued  the  principal.  "I  shall  want 
three  more  to  go  up  on  the  next  section,  and  Glo- 
vering,  Short,  and  Chester  will  be  ready  for  this 
duty.  None  of  you  will  come  down  till  the  entire 
frame  is  raised." 

The  fall  from  the  derrick  had  been  brought  over 
in  a  boat,  and  hooked  on  to  the  loops  from  the 
slings.  The  order  to  ring  was  given,  for  the 
power  was  supplied  by  the  engine  in  the  shops,  as 
before,  and  the  section  began  to  rise.  Mr.  Miker, 
the  lessee  of  the  quarry,  and  his  men,  had  volun- 
teered to  assist  at  the  raising.  The  grounds  con- 
tained a  great  many  people  who  had  come  as  spec- 
tators, and  there  were  more  volunteers  to  take 
part  than  could  be  employed. 

Mr.  Brookbine  stood  at  one  corner  post,  and 
Mr.  Miker  at  the  other,  with  a  stone-cutter  at  the 
middle  one,  all  armed  with  iron  bars.  The  prin- 
cipal difficulty  in  raising  the  sections  was  in  pre- 
venting the  foot  of  the  post  from  moving  frpm  its 
place.  A  sling  had  been  rigged  three  feet  from 
the  tenon  on  each  post,  kept  from  slipping  by  a 
pin  through  the  hole  in  the  brace  mortise,  to 
which  a  twofold  purchase,  made  fast  at  the  other 


310  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES  ; 

end  to  the  sill,  was  attached.  The  purchase- 
tackle  was  hauled  taut,  and  a  student  was  to  slack 
it  with  a  double  turn  around  a  timber,  as  the  post 
ascended.  The  iron  bars  were  to  be  used  in  guid- 
ing the  tenon  into  the.  mortise. 

Everything  worked  precisely  as  had  been  in- 
tended ;  for  Captain  Gildrock  took  no  chances  and 
incurred  no  risks.  The  machinery  and  the  ropes 
were  strong,  and  all  sorts  of  possible  accidents 
had  been  provided  for.  The  students  on  the  top 
of  the  moving  section  waved  their  caps  when  they 
were  well  up  in  the  air,  and  those  below  cheered 
them  ;  but  the  principal  would  not  allow  any  boys' 
play  which  might  distract  the  attention  of  the 
workers. 

"  Now  man  the  check  lines,"  called  the  principal, 
when  the  section  approached  a  perpendicular  posi- 
tion. 

These  were  ropes  passing  through  a  single 
block,  leading  down  in  the  rear  from  the  plates. 
Without  these  the  section  might  have  fallen  over 
upon  the  derrick  when  it  reached  an  upright  po- 
sition. The  check  lines  were  hauled  taut,  and 
paid  out  as  the  derrick  rope  brought  it  to  its  per- 
manent place.  The  tenons  were  successfully  di- 
rected into  the  mortises,  and  the  men  with  the  iron 


OR,   BUILDING   THE    HOUSE.  311 

bars  were  relieved  from  the  duty  of  using  them. 
Each  of  them  had  a  spirit  level,  which  was  also  a 
plumb.  As  the  section  approached  its  proper 
position,  the  men  applied  the  plumb. 

"Ring  !  "  shouted  the  master  carpenter ;  and  the 
student  on  the  caisson  pulled  his  rope.  The 
section  was  not  yet  finally  plumbed,  but  was  se- 
cured by  ropes  and  board  stays.  The  sailors  on 
the  plates  cast  off  the  slings  and  the  check  lines, 
which  were  immediately  attached  to  the  second 
section ;  and  this  one  was  raised  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  first  had  been. 

By  the  check  lines  the  students  on  the  frame 
hauled  up  five  single  blocks,  which  were  made 
fast  at  the  head  of  the  long  posts.  A  single  whip 
was  rigged  at  each,  and  with  these  the  side  plates 
and  the  girders  were  hoisted  to  the  places  where 
they  were  required.  The  sailors  inserted  the 
tenons  in  the  mortises,  as  the  timbers  were  ele- 
vated in  a  horizontal  position,  and  drove  in 
the  pins. 

A  great  many  contrivances  unknown  to  car- 
penters were  used,  by  the  aid  of  which  many  of 
the  boys  became  men  ;  but  the  reading  about  them 
will  not  be  half  so  exciting  as  was  the  actual  u«e 
of  them.  .When  the  timbers  had  all  been  put  in 


312  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES; 

place,  including  the  studs  in  the  sides,  but  not  the 
floor  joists,  the  two  sections  were  plumbed. 

The  rest  of  the  raising  was  done  in  the  same 
manner.  At  noon  all  the  volunteers  dined  with 
the  students,  and  a  grand  dinner  was  given  in 
honor  of  the  occasion.  Before  night  the  raising 
was  finished. 

A  great  collation  was  served  on  the  lawn  at 
sundown,  and  the  Genverres  band  played  all  the 
evening.  The  grounds  were  thronged  with  people, 
and  an  impromptu  dance,  in  which  most  of  the 
students  took  part,  closed  the  festivities  of  the  da}-. 

The  rest  of  the  Building  of  the  House  was  a 
matter  of  detail,  and  the  work  was  .done  in  shop 
time.  By  the  first  of  November  the  boat-house 
was  shingled  and  clapboarded,  the  windows  were 
put  in,  and  a  few  temporary  doors  were  hung. 
During  the  winter  the  students  got  out  the  finish, 
and  the  building  was  entirely  completed  on  the 
first  day  of  June  of  the  following  year. 

The  wharf  had  been  finished  according  to  Bolly 
Millweed's  plan  by  the  middle  of  May.  The 
parts  of  the  truss  bridge  had  been  made  in  the 
shop  in  the  winter.  The  sides  of  the  caisson  were 
built  up  of  the  timbers  which  had  remained  inside 
of  it  from  the  beginning.  The  architect  fixed  its 


OR,  BUILDING   THE   HOUSE.  313 

position  with  the  compass  from  the  shore.  The 
Sylph  towed  rufts  of  refuse  stone  to  the  enlarged 
caisson,  and  it  was  sunk  into  position.  A  plank 
floor  was  laid  on  the  top  of  it,  and  Bolly's  dream 
became  a  reality. 

Of  course  such  an  event  as  the  completion  of 
the  great  boat-house  and  the  wharf  could  not  be 
passed  by  without  a  suitable  celebration.  This 
included  a  magnificent  collation,  music  on  the 
lawn,  and  a  big  social  dance  in  the  hall.  Many 
people  from  Burlington  attended  it,  and  even 
Lew  Shoreham  was  willing  to  admit  that  the  uni- 
form of  the  Beech  Hill  Industrial  School  was  a 
big  thing,  inasmuch  as  no  young  lady  would  look 
at  a  young  man  on  that  day  who  did  not  wear  it. 
In  fact  it  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  an  honorable 
distinction,  and  the  students  were  proud  to  wear  it. 

The  Building  of  the  House  by  the  students  had 
given  the  school  no  little  reputation,  and  the 
"  Tinkers  "  were  lions  in  many  places  where  they 
went.  Captain  Gildrdck  had  applications  enough 
to  quadruple  the  number  of  his  pupils,  and  he  was 
considering  the  question  of  enlarging  the  sphere  of 
its  usefulness  from  the  beginning  of  the  next  year. 

Among  those  present  at  the  celebration  of  the 
completion  of  the  boat-house  were  Mr.  Flint  the 


314  SQUARE    AND   COMPASSES. 

architect,  and  the  fat  civil  engineer,  Mr.  Bridges. 
The  former  was  so  pleased  with  Bolly's  work  and 
his  ideas,  that  he  offered  him  a  place  in  his  office 
at  Albany,  Avith  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars  a  month,  as 
a  draughtsman.  Bolly  did  not  want  to  leave  the 
school,  but  his  father's  circumstances  made  it  his 
duty  to  accept  the  offer. 

The  civil  engineer  wanted  a  young  man,  and 
Lew  Shoreham  found  a  place  with  him,  for  he  had 
to  earn  his  own  living.  Corny  Minkfield  and 
John  Brattle  had  places  offered  to  them  to  run 
stationary  engines  in  a  marble  quarry  ;  but  as  they 
were  still  young,  the  principal  advised  them  to  re- 
main another  year  at  the  school.  A  dozen  of  the 
students  could  have  obtained  fair  wages  as  car- 
penters, but  they  were  counselled  to  continue  their 
studies. 

The  thoughts  of  the  boys  at  Beech  Hill  had  a 
nautical  tendency,  and  Captain  Gildrock  was  now 
ready  to  carry  out  his  second  great  idea,  which 
was  to  build  a  sailing  craft  somewhat  larger  than 
the  Goldwing;  and  the  next  volume  will  explain 
how,  in  the  midst  of  many  adventures  with  the 
Chesterfields  and  the  Topovers,  the  students  did 
all  the  work,  from  "  Stem  to  Stern,"  in  the  prac- 
tical work  of  "Building  the  Boat." 


OLIVER    OPTIC'S  BOOKS. 

AEMY  AND  NAVY  STORIES 

Six  Volumes.    Illustrated.    Per  vol.,  $1.50. 


1.  THE  SOLDIER  BOY; 

Or,  Tom  Somers  in  the  Army. 

2.  THE  SAILOR  BOY; 

Or,  Jack  Somers  in  the  Navy. 

3.  THE  YOUNG  LIEUTENANT; 

Or,  Adventures  of  an  Army  Officer, 

4.  THE  YANKEE  MIDDY; 

Or,  Adventures  of  a  Nary  OfP«*er. 

5.  FIGHTING  JOE; 

Or,  The  Fortunes  of  a  Staff  Offiocr, 

6.  BRAVE  OLD  SALT; 

Or,  Life  on  the  Quarter-Deck. 


This  series  of  six  volumes  recounts  the  adventures  of  two 
brothers,  Tom  and  Jack  Somers,  one  in  the  arm}7,  the  other  in 
the  navy,  in  the  great  civil  war.  The  romantic  narratives  ot 
the  fortunes  and  exploits  of  the  brothers  are  thrilling  in  th 
extreme.  Historical  accuracy  in  the  recital  of  the  gn>r.. 
events  of  that  period  is  strictly  followed,  and  the  result  iu 
not  only  a  library  of  entertaining  volumes,  but  also  the  be»' 
history  of  the  civil  war  for  young  people  ever  written. 


OLIVER   OPTIC'S  BOOKS. 


YACHT  CLUB  SERIES. 

Uulfor**  with  the  ever  popular  "  Boat  Club,"  Series,     C 
ill  six  vols.     IGmo.    Illustrated.    Per  vol.,  $1.5O. 


1.  LITTLE  BOBTAIL; 

Or,  The  Wreck  of  the  Penob«c«t 

2.  THE  YACHT  CLUB; 

Or,  The  Young  Boat-Builders. 

3.  MONEY-MAKER; 

Or,  The  Victory  of  the  Basilisk. 

4.  THE  COMING  WAVE; 

Or,  The  Treasure  of  High  Rock. 

6.  THE  DORCAS  CLUB; 

Or,  Our  Girls  Afloat 

6.  OCEAN  BORN; 

Or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Clubs. 


The  series  has  this  peculiarity,  that  all  of  its  constituent 
j-olumes  are  independent  of  one  another,  and  therefore  each 
story  is  complete  in  itself.  "Oliver  Optic"  is  perhaps  the 
favorite  author  of  the  boys  and  girls  of  this  country,  and  he 
seems  destined  to  enjoy  an  endless  popularity.  He  deserves 
his  success,  for  he  makes  very  interesting  stories,  and  incul- 
c:t€s  none  but  the  best  sentiments;  and  the  "Yacht  Club" 
•f  no  exception  to  this  rule.  —  New  Haven  Jour, 


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